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Presented    by~^'S\i  -"^  •  Ss  rY?\-Aa.Q\  ^Vn 

BX  6093^078  C78  1878 
Cummins,  George  D.  1822- 

1876. 
Memoir  of  George  David 

Qummins .  D .  D . 


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MEMOIR 

OF 

George  David  Cummins,  d.d. 

FIRST    BISHOP    OF 

The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church. 


BY   HIS   WIFE. 


A\\^'/^/ 


PER  ARDUA 


"They  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the  Stars  forever 
and  ever." — Dan.  12  :  3. 

PHILADELPHIA: 
E.     CLAXTON    &    COMPANY, 

930   Market  Street. 

AND 

REFORMED    EPISCOPAL    ROOMS, 
931    Arch   Street. 


Copyright,  1878,  by  A.  M.  CUMMINS. 


TO   THE 


BISHOPS,  CLERGY,  AND  LAITY 


REFORMED     EPISCOPAL     CHURCH, 

AND  TO  THE  DEAR  FRIENDS  IN  THE 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 

who  love  and  cherish 
His  Memory. 

THIS    RECORD    OF    THE    LIFE    OF    THEIR    BISHOP, 

AND    LOVING    FRIEND, 

IS    AFFECTIONATELY     DEDICATED. 


NOTE. 

A  WELL-KNOWN,  and  greatly-admired  author  says:  "There 
is  a  moment  of  profound  discouragement  which  succeeds  to 
prolonged  effort ;  when  the  labor,  which  has  become  a  habit, 
having  ceased,  we  miss  the  sustaining  sense  of  its  compan- 
ionshio.  and  stand,  with  a  feeling  of  strangeness,  and  embar- 
rassment, before  the  abrupt  and  naked  result.' 

With  this  feeling,  and  a  keen  sense  of  how  unworthily 
this  labor  of  love  has  been  accomplished,  the  writer  sends 
forth  the  result  of  months  of  uninterrupted  work. 

To  the  severer  voices  of  strangers,  as  well  as  to  the  gentler 
judgment  of  friends,  these  pas:es  are  submitted  by  the  author, 
trusting  that  whatever  may  be  their  decision  regarding  them, 
their  accuracy  will  not  be  lost  sight  of. 

A.  M.  C. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

yAoft 

Early  Days  and  College  Life, I3 


CHAPTER   II. 
The  Young  Circuit  Rider,     ........       19 

CHAPTER   in. 
Preparation  Work,         .         ,.,,.,,.        32 

CHAPTER   IV, 
Life  in  Norfolk, 39 

CHAPTER   V. 
Life  in  Norfolk,  Continued,     ........       49 


11  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Life  in  Norfolk,  Continued, 55 


CHAPTER   VII. 
Call  to  Richmond 64 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Resigns  Christ  Church,  Norfolk, 71 

CHAPTER   IX. 
Work  in  Richmond, 77 

CHAPTER  X. 
Call  to  Washington 87 

CHAPTER   XI. 
Life  in  Washington, 93 

CHAPTER    Xn. 
More  Earnest  Work, I03 


CONTENTS.  Ill 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

PAGE 

Call  to  New  York, H2 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Other  Souls  to  Win — Call  to  Baltimore, 122 

CHAPTER   XV. 
Labor  in  a  New  Field, 135 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
In  Labors  Abundant 149 

CHAPTER   XVn. 
First  Visit  to  Europe — Letters  to  his  Children,    ....     155 

CHAPTER  XVIIL 
Return  Home, 175 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Call  to  San  Francisco,  Cal., rti 


IV  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

PAGE 

Another  Home, i88 


CHAPTER   XXI. 
Life  in  the  Great  West, IQT 

CHAPTER   XXII. 
Sowing  the  Seed,   . 209 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 
Work  for  Jesus, 225 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 
Work  in  1865-66, 236 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
Election  to  the  Episcopate, 243 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
The  Bishopric  Accepted, 256 


CONTENTS.  V 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

PAGE 

Consecration  and  Work, 265 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 
A  Stand  for  the  Truth— 1868, 284 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 
General  Convention, 296 

CHAPTER   XXX. 
Correspondence  with  Bishop  Whitehouse — 1869,  .         .        .     307 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 
Correspondence,  Continued, 321 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 
Letters  to  Bishop  Bedell, 330 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
After  the  Darkness,  Light, 348 


VI  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

PAGE 

Inhibition  of  Bishop  Whitehouse,  357 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Home  Life, 3^9 

CHAPTER   XXXVI. 
Work  in  1870, 380 

CHAPTER   XXXVII. 
Visit  to  New  York  and  Conferences,    ......     394 

CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church 410 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 
The  First  General  Council,  .......     430 


CHAPTER  XL. 
Work  in  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church, 447 


CONTENTS.  VU 


CHAPTER   XLI. 

PAGE 

Work  in  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  1875,  Contintud,       .        .     475 


CHAPTER   XLH, 
The  End, 517 


GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

EARLY   DAYS   AND   COLLEGE   LIFE. 

"We  know  him  now,  all  narrow  jealousies 
Are  silent  ;   and  we  see  him  as  he  moved  : 
How  modest,   kindly,  all-accomplished,  wise, 
With  what  sublime  repression  of  himself ! 

*  *  *  *  * 

Wearing  the  white  flower  of  a  blameless  life 
Before  a  thousand  peering  littlenesses." 

GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS  was  born  neai 
the  town  of  Smyrna,  Del.,  December  nth, 
1822.  His  father's  family  came  to  this  country 
from  Scotland,  and  settled  at  Oxford,  near  Easton, 
Md.,  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  It  was  at  that  time  a 
shipping  port  of  importance.  From  Oxford  several 
members  of  the  family  removed  to  Delaware  and 
Pennsylvania.  Two  of  the  uncles  of  the  subject  of 
this  memoir  settled  in  Philadelphia,  and  became  prom- 
inent  shipping  and  commission  merchants.  The  father 
of  Bishop  Cummins,  Mr.  George  Cummins,  purchasea 
land  in  Delaware,  and  there  he  lived  all  his  life.  He 
occupied  prominent  positions  in  the  State,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  for  many  years.  Early  in 
life  he  married  the  daughter  of  Governor  Collins. 


14  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMfNS. 

She  lived  but  a  few  months,  and  for  many  years  he 
remained  a  widower.  When  quite  an  old  man,  he 
married  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Durborow, 
and  granddaughter  of  Major  Hammond,  of  Howard 
County,  Maryland.  Being  a  man  of  fortune  and 
leisure,  he  took  great  delight  in  relieving  the  wants 
of  the  poor  around  him.  He  was  the  physician  to 
all  who  were  unable  to  send  for  many  miles  for  a 
medical  man,  and  ministered  constantly  to  the  sick 
both  in  supplying  medicines  and  delicate  food.  Hos- 
pitable and  generous,  his  house  was  always  open 
to  guests,  whom  he  was  rarely  without.  He  was  a 
large  slave-holder,  but  set  them  all  free  before  his 
death,  and  to  the  older  ones  gave  each  a  house,  and 
land  sufficient  to  support  them  as  long  as  they  lived. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
The  mother  of  Bishop  Cummins  was  very  much 
younger  than  her  husband.  Her  ancestors  came  from 
Enofland,  and  settled  in  Tennessee  and  Delaware. 
She  was  a  very  handsome  woman  and  an  earnest, 
consistent  Christian,  generous  and  loving,  and  ad- 
mired and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her.  By  this 
marriage  Mr:  Cummins  became  the  father  of  four 
children — Sarah  Collins,  the  eldest,  now  residing  in 
Smyrna,  Del.  ;  Fannie,  who  married  Robert  Hill, 
Esq.,  of  Smyrna;  George  David;  and  John,  the 
youngest,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  lies  beside  his 
father  in  the  graveyard  near  Smyrna. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  the  third  child  of 
George  and  Maria  Cummins,  and  received  the  name 
of  his  father  and  a  beloved  uncle,  who  was  appointed 
by  the  Court,  guardian  to  the  three  children  after  the 
death  of  their  first  guardian,  Mr.  John  Cummins. 


EARL  V  DA  YS  AND    COLLEGE  LIFE.  I  5 


Bishop  Cummins  was  deeply  attached  to  his  birth- 
place, and  during  his  life  enjoyed  visiting  there 
greatly. 

When  four  years  of  age  his  father  died,  leaving 
his  young  family  to  the  care  of  his  wife  and  brother. 
After  Mr.  Cummins's  death  Mrs.  Cummins  re- 
moved to  Smyrna,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1833  the 
three  children  were  sent  to  school  in  Newark,  Del. 
Mr.  Cummins  was  placed  under  the  care  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Russell,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  kept  a  school 
in  Newark.  He  was  then  eleven  years  of  age,  and 
his  sisters  were  in  the  school  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bell, 
a  Presbyterian  minister  also.  Here  the  Bishop  re- 
mained until  he  was  old  enough  to  enter  college. 
Through  the  influence  of  his  mother  he  was  sent,  at 
the  early  age  of  fourteen  years,  to  Dickinson  Col- 
lege, at  Carlisle,  Pa.  The  testimony  of  all  who  knew 
him  when  a  child  is,  that  he  was  remarkably  gentle 
and  loving  in  his  disposition,  yet  very  bright  and  in- 
telligent, and  fond  of  study.  He  remained  at  Dick- 
inson College  until  he  graduated.  The  law  was  the 
profession  he  had  chosen  ;  but  when,  in  his  seventeenth 
year,  he  gave  his  heart  to  the  Lord,  he  decided  to 
study  lor  the  ministry.  We  have  no  letters  written 
during  his  earliest  school-days  in  Newark  ;  the  first  in 
our  possession  bears  the  date  of  November  21st,  1838, 
before  his  conversion.  It  is  written  to  his  eldest  sis- 
ter. He  says  :  "  Have  you  heard  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bas- 
com  preach  ?  He  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent pulpit  orators  in  the  United  States. "  In  another 
letter  he  speaks  of  "  studying  very  hard.  We  have 
a  very  large  number  of  students,  and  the  college  is  in 


1 6  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

a  thriving-  condition."  The  President,  Rev.  Dr.  Dur- 
bin,  and  Professor  Allen,  now  President  of  Girard 
College,  Philadelphia,  as  also  Professor  Caldwell, 
were  warm  friends  of  the  young  student.  His  letters 
at  this  time  are  marked  by  the  same  bright,  cheerful 
spirit  that  so  distinguished  him  in  later  years.  The 
warm,  loving  heart  beat  then,  as  it'  ever  did,  with 
tender  love  to  each  member  of  his  family,  as  well  as 
to  his  boyhood's  friends.  In  a  letter  dated  April,  1839, 
he  speaks  of  a  great  revival  going  on  in  Dickinson 
College,  over  one  hundred  having  united  with  the 
church.  It  was  at  this  time  he  gave  his  heart  to  God 
and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  entering 
on  a  life  of  earnest  love  and  faithful  labor  for  Christ. 
Soon  after  this  consecration  of  himself  to  the  Lord  he 
was  obliged  to  leave  college  :  his  health  had  been  in- 
jured by  intense  application  to  study  for  nearly  three 
years.  On  the  first  page  of  a  journal  commenced  at 
that  time  he  writes  :  "  My  state  of  health  at  present  is 
certainly  an  unenviable  one.  Exiled  from  college  by 
a  disease  of  the  heart,  within  a  few  months  of  my 
graduation,  I  am  forbidden  to  engage  in  any  bodily 
exertion  or  mental  study." 

In  a  letter  written  to  his  sister,  from  Philadephia, 
March  4th,  1840,  he  says  :  "  I  went  to-day  to  consult 
Dr.  Samuel  Jackson  ;  from  him  I  learned  sad  news. 
He  says  there  is  an  enlargement  of  the  heart,  and 
that  I  should  by  no  means  return  to  college  ;  that  it 
will  take  eighteen  months  or  two  years  to  relieve  me  ; 
that  by  taking  great  care  I  might  recover,  but  if  I  do 
not  I  could  live  but  a  short  time."  This  was  a  se- 
vere trial  to  the  young  and  ardent  student,  but  he 


EARLY  DAYS  AND    COLLEGE  LIFE.  ^7 

bore  it  with  the  same  sweet  spirit  so  fully  and  fre- 
quently manifested  in  after-life. 

Mr.  Cummins  rested  from  all  study  until  Decem- 
ber 1st,  1840,  when  he  once  more  returned  to  Car- 
lisle. 

In  a  letter  bearing  that  date  he  says  :  "  I  arrived 
here  yesterday,  in  the  evening,  having  accomplished 
the  journey  from  Baltimore  in  one  day  !  Stewart  had 
reserved  my  room  for  me,  and  here  I  am  snugly 
ensconced  as  I  was  a  year  ago.  The  students  and 
faculty  received  me  most  kindly,  and  seem  to  be  very 
glad    to    have    me    back  again.      Professor  Caldwell 

kept  my  name  on  the  catalogue There 

are'many  new  students,  and  some  very  wicked  ones. 
I  pray  I  may  be  kept  from  sinning. ' ' 

Mr.  Cummins's  mother  had  married  the  Rev.  Jo- 
seph Farrow,  a  Methodist  Episcopal  minister,  and 
had  removed  to  Baltimore. 

This  was  his  home  for  several  years,  where  he 
spent  the  time  when  not  at  college  or  on  the  circuit. 
To  his  eldest  sister  his  letters  were  chiefly  written  at 
this  time.  In  one,  dated  Carlisle,  February  13th, 
1 84 1,  he  writes  :  "  My  health  is  very  much  improved, 
and  lately  I  have  felt  very  well.  I  find  studying 
agrees  with  me,  and  I  hope  to  take  a  good  place  in 
my  class  at  Commencement."  And  again,  June  ist, 
1841  :  "  My  health  is  good.  To-day  we  pass  our 
final  examination  of  the  whole  course.  Our  exami- 
nations have  been  very  rigid,  lasting  eight  and  nine 
days."  He  was  a  member  of  the  Philosophical 
Society,  and  on  July  5th,  1841,  he  delivered  an  ad- 
dress  before   that   society   entitled   "  Knowledge  an 


l8  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

Insufficient   Guide   to   Individual   or   National  Con- 
duct. 

On  July  8th,  1841,  Mr.  Cummins  graduated  with 
great  honor,  in  a  class  of  twenty-three'.  He  deliv- 
ered the  "valedictory  oration,"  and  received  the 
degree  of  B.A.  On  the  nth  July,  1844,  he  received 
that  of  A.M. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  YOUNG  CIRCUIT-RIDER. 

"  Let  Truth's  pure  girdle  belt  thee  round, 
Let  Christ's  own  Righteousness  complete 
Protect  thy  breast,  and  be  thy  feet 
With  Gospel  fitness  bound  ; 
Thy  shield  be  Faith's  unchanging  light, 
Salvation's  hope  thy  helmet  bright." 

Aged  20. 

IN  March,  1842,  Mr.  Cummins  was  appointed  by 
the  Baltimore  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference 
to  the  Bladensburg  Circuit,  in  the  State  of  Mary- 
land. 

He  was  then  only  a  licentiate.  Those  who  knew 
him  then  remember  him  as  so  youthful  in  appearance, 
that  no  one  would  have  thought  he  was  prepared  for 
the  duties  of  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 

From  Bladensburg  he  writes  to  his  sister  Sarah  : 
"  I  have  just  returned  this  morning  from  our  quar- 
terly meeting.  On  Tuesday  morning  I  rode  to  my 
appointment  at  Pleasant  Grove  ;  on  Wednesday,  to 
the  Union  meeting-house  ;  on  Thursday,  to  a  chapel 
about  sixteen  miles  from  here.  I  had  an  appointment 
on  Friday  morning,  and  we  continued  the  meetmg 
from  that  time.  I  preached  on  Friday  morning,  and 
in  the  evening  again.  Saturday,  Brother  Wilson  from 
Washington  preached  in  the  morning,  and  Brother 
Coffin  at  night.      On  Sunday  morning   we  had  our 


20  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

love-feast,  and  Brother  Wilson  preached  again.  I 
was  to  have  preached  in  the  evening,  but  a  large 
number  of  colored  people  came  to  the  meeting, 
enough  to  fill  two  churches,  and  I  offered  to  preach  to 
them  in  the  open  air.  Accordingly  we  went  a  short 
distance  into  the  woods,  and  I  stood  on  a  chair  under 
a  cedar-tree,  and  preached  to  them.  I  should  think 
there  were  a  thousand  present,  and,  as  you  may  sup- 
pose, 'A  Shout  in  the  Camp  '  !  I  have  now  been  around 
the  circuit,  and  have  found  it  very  pleasant." 

His  fondness  for  the  country  was  always  very 
marked.  Even  at  this  early  period  in  his  ministerial 
life  he  writes  enthusiastically  of  the  green  fields, 
beautiful  gardens,  and  leafy  forests,  and  rich  wheat- 
fields,  in  strong  contrast  with  the  brick  houses  and 
stone  pavements  of  the  city. 

He  dwells  upon  the  sweet  freshness  of  country 
life,  and  compares  it  with  the  excitement,  bustle,  and 
confusion  of  city  life,  and  yet  his  life-work  was  begun 
and  ended  almost  in  the  great  cities.  When  he  pos- 
sibly could  he  sought  the  quiet  and  rest  of  a  country 
home,  yet  he  felt  that  in  the  great  centres  of  our 
country  his  work  was  to  be  accomplished.  He  was 
ever  happiest  in  his  home,  and  surrounded  by  those 
so  tenderly  loved.  In  this  his  first  year  of  ministerial 
work,  while  among  strangers,  he  writes  :  "  How 
delightful  will  it  be  to  step  into  the  cars  again  with 
my  face  turned  homeward  !"  Again  he  writes  from 
his  home  in  Bladensburg,  Md.,  May  8th,  1843  :  "  Re- 
member me  to  each  member  of  my  Sunday-school 
class,  I  intended  writing  before  this,  but  my  en- 
gagements have  kept  me  more  constantly  at  work  than 
usual.    I  am  glad  to  say  that  for  some  time  past  my 


THE    YOUiVG   CIRCUIT-RIDER.  21 

health  has  been  better  ;  I  have  not  felt  so  much  debili- 
tated, and  I  still  hope  I  may  become  much  stronger. " 
The  young  and  earnest  preacher  does  not  in  these 
extracts  give  his  sister  an  idea  of  how  much  he 
suffered.  His  was  too  unselfish  a  spirit  to  allow  his 
suffering  to  depress  those  he  loved.  While  thus 
speaking  hopefully  of  his  state  of  health,  many  hours 
of  the  day  were  passed  in  severe  pain.  The  trouble 
of  the  heart,  years  before  detected  by  one  of  Amer- 
ica's most  eminent  physicians,  still  brought  with  it 
much  physical  disturbance,  though  the  out-door  life 
he  led  as  a  "  circuit  rider,"  did  much  towards 
strengthening  his  whole  system.  Indeed,  gradually 
he  grew  much  better,  and  in  after-life  attributed  this 
favorable  change  to  the  two  years  he  spent  in  almost 
constant  exercise  in  the  open  air,  on  horseback. 
Thirty-four  years  of  laborious  "preacher-life"  were 
given  him,  and  in  all  that  time  he  was  only  confined 
for  a  day  or  two  to  his  bed.  Even  the  last  illness  was 
short.  His  was  a  busy  life.  Active,  earnest,  enthu- 
siastic, he  did  everything  with  his  whole  soul.  An 
eminent  Scotch  physician  said  of  him  in  1862  :  "  It  is 
this  intense  nervous  activity  that  makes  Dr.  Cummins 
the  preacher  he  is."  In  the  routine  of  his  early  minis- 
terial life  in  a  small  village,  going  from  chapel  to 
school-house,  holding  services  for  the  simple  folk 
who  formed  in  great  part  his  congregations,  he  was 
as  careful  in  preparing  his  sermons,  and  as  earnest  in 
their  delivery,  as  when  he  ministered  to  great  con- 
gregations made  up  of  the  most  cultured  and  intellec- 
tual people  in  the  land.  He  writes  in  July,  1843,  thus 
of  his  work  :  "  Everything  seems  to  be  opening  be- 
fore us  most  encouragingly.    We  have  appointed  two 


22  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

camp-meetings,  one  on  the  4th  August,  the  other  on 
the  1 8th.  We  celebrated  the  4th  July  by  a  Sunday- 
school  gathering  in  a  grove  near  the  chapel.  We  had 
a  beautiful  procession  of  children,  though  the  school 
has  been  established  but  two  or  three  months.  In 
the  afternoon  we  had  a  temperance-meeting.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  French  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
living  in  Washington,  and  formerly  chaplain  to  Con- 
gress, spoke.  I  addressed  the  people  first,  and  Mr. 
French  followed."  In  another  letter  he  says:  "I 
have  been  to  Washington  several  times  since  I  wrote 
you.  Bladensburg  is  but  six  miles  from  the  Capital. 
I  have  been  through  the  Capitol  and  tfie  grounds,  and 
visited  the  halls  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives." In  a  letter  dated  September  13th  of 
the  same  year  he  gives  a  full  account  of  his  duties  in 
the  "  circuit,"  "  preaching  almost  every  day,  and  so 
much  engaged  as  not  to  have  time  for  writing."  In 
this  letter  he  speaks  of  having  had  the  opinion  of  two 
physicians  as  to  his  health  ;  but  though  suffering  all 
the  time,  his  earnest  faithfulness  carried  him  through 
all  his  duties.  The  next  letter  from  which  we  quote 
is  written  on  the  young  preacher's  birthday,  Decem- 
ber nth,  1843.  He  says  ;  "  Just  twenty-one  !  What 
a  crowd  of  thoughts  pass  through  my  mind  on  writing 
these  words  !  I  think  of  my  history — the  life  I  have 
lived,  the  scenes  through  which  I  have  passed,  the 
calling  in  which  I  am  now  engaged — and  of  the  future, 
what  I  shall  yet  be  ;  what  will  be  the  character  of  the 
rest  of  life's  pilgrimage  which  lies  before  me,  and 
whether  the  ivorld  zvill  be  any  better  and  happier  from  the 
fact  that  a  man-child  zvas  born  into  the  zvorld  December 
1 1///,  1822  !    Who  can  tell  ?    The  dark  Future  answers 


THE    YOUNG   CIRCUIT-RIDER.  23 


not.  But  my  own  spirit  can  answer  through  the  aid  of 
the  Divine  Spirit,  it  shall  be  so.  May  God  grant  it  I 
I  am  a  winter-child,  and  not  a  'summer-child,'  as 
Miss  Bremer  so  beautifully  expresses  it.  Twenty-one 
years  gone  !  How  fast  life  is  going  !  Yet  this  is  but 
the  entrance  to  life.  Who  can  tell  whether  I  shall  live 
twenty-one  years  more  ?  Let  me  then  be  '  up  and 
doing.'  But  life  is  not  to  be  estimated  by  the  num- 
ber of  years,  but  by  the  amount  of  work  done.  Some 
do  not  die  too  soon  at  my  age.  Their  work  is  done, 
their  mission  accomplished." 

He  was  ever  most  anxious  to  labor  unceasingly 
for  the  Master  he  so  truly  loved.  Even  at  this  early 
age  the  applause  and  praise  were  given  him  which 
reached  him  in  so  large  a  measure  in  later  years  ;  but 
it  did  not  seem  to  affect  him  :  his  one  thought  and 
aspiration  seemed  to  be  "  to  work  for  Jesus."  Could 
he  have  had  a  slight  vision  of  his  labor  and  its  end  in 
the  years  that  were  to  come,  we  believe  he  would 
have  started  back  appalled  ;  for  his  was  a  most  sensi- 
tive, loving  nature  which  shrank  from  expressing  an 
opinion  that  would  be  painful  to  others.  Bold  v 
a  high  degree  in  the  pulpit,  he  never  held  back  tn© 
truth,  however  deep  it  might  wound  ;  but  socially  he 
was  the  most  tender,  loving  man,  equally  so  to  the 
lowly  beneficiary  of  his  church,  as  to  the  little  Sun- 
day-school or  parish  scholar.  Few  young  men  of 
twenty-one  would  have  written  these  earnest,  heart- 
searching  words  on  their  bi  rthdays. 

In  all  his  letters  written  at  this  time  he  tells  of  his 
work.  His  thoughts  seem  to  have  been  constantly  oc- 
cupied with  his  duties.  In  one  he  gives  an  account 
of  services  held  at  Nottingham,  Emory  Chapel,  and 


24  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

in  Calvert  County,  at  a  revival  ;  of  his  duties  on  the 
Sundays  in  Bladensburg  ;  of  his  riding  many  miles  in  a 
severe  snow-storm,  etc.  He  further  writes:  "  Monday 
was  the  day  for  the  opening  of  Congress,  and  I  re- 
solved to  be  present.  I  rode  from  Col.  J.'s  to  Wash- 
ington, and  paid  my  first  visit  to  Congress.  Need  I 
say  I  was  delighted  ?  The  day  was  fine,  the  crowd 
of  people  at  the  Capitol  immense.  I  succeeded  in 
getting  a  seat,  and  beheld  the  beautiful  spectacle.  The 
hall,  noble  as  it  is,  looked  more  so  with  its  crowded 
galleries  and  all  the  members  in  their  seats.  It  was 
a  brilliant  sight.  I  remained  an  hour  or  more,  and 
was  present  at  the  election  of  the  Speaker.  I  saw  the 
principal  members,  but  conspicuous  among  all  was 
the  time-bared  head  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  the 
noblest  of  them  all."  Again  he  writes  :  "  Last  week 
I  had  a  protracted  meeting  for  the  colored  people  in 
and  around  Bladensburg."  In  this  letter  he  mentions 
receiving  the  "  Baltimore  Sun"  early  in  the  morning, 
and  says  :  "  Since  the  order  of  the  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral was  received,  the  Siin  is  caried  from  Baltimore  to 
Washington  in  a  buggy,  and  passing  through  Bladens- 
burg we  can  get  it  early."  "Christmas,"  he  con- 
tinues, "  is  very  near  at  hand,  and  I  shall  not  be  with 
you  all.  How  I  should  like  to  enjoy  the  '  lectures  ' 
this  season  in  Baltimore  !  I  expect  to  deliver  one 
here  during  the  winter.  A  son's  warmest  love  to 
mother.  Think  of  me  and  pray  for  me.  Snow  is  in 
plenty,  and  circuit-riding  is  not  in  winter  what  it  is  in 
summer." 

The  beginning  of  the  year  1844  found  the  young 
minister  busy  at  work.  January  i6th  he  says  :  "  Went 
Sunday    to    my  appointments,    preached  twice    and 


THE    YOUNG   CIRCUIT-RIDEK.  2$ 

returned  ;  Wednesday  preached  once,  so  on  Thurs- 
day and  Friday  ;  and  again  on  Sunday  preached  three 
times.  My  health  is  much  better.  So  much  for  a 
Hfe  in  the  woods  and  the  free  air  of  heaven."  In  a 
letter  dated  March  ist,  written  in  Baltimore  to  his 
sister  Sarah,  he  saj'S  :  "  Here  I  am  at  home  at  last, — 
the  year  over  with  all  its  toil  and  care, — and  journey- 
ing and  preaching,  waiting  for  the  trumpet  which 
shall  summon  me  to  the  war  again  !  It  would  take 
me  a  long  time  to  tell  you  all  I  have  thought  and 
felt,  and  enjoyed  and  suffered,  since  I  began  my  work 
in  Bladensburg  ;  suffice  it  to  say  I  have  bidden  good- 
by  to  all  the  good  people  in  the  '  circuit,'  and  finally 
wound  up  by  jumping  into  the  cars  yesterday  even- 
ing, and  soon  found  myself  in  the  loved  City  of  Mon- 
uments, and  not  long  after  was  at  home,  shaking  hands 
with  the  dear  ones  there  and  feeling  as  happy  as  a 
school-boy  returning  for  the  holidays."  He  adds  : 
''  On  Monday  I  start  for  my  native  State,  the 
home  of  my  boyhood."  On  April  9th,  1844,  he 
writes  to  his  sister  from  Charlestown,  the  county 
town  of  Jefferson  County,  (now)  West  Virginia,  where 
he  had  been  appointed  by  the  Baltimore  Conference 
for  the  second  year  of  his  licentiate  :  "  According  to 
promise,  my  dear  sister,  I  take  the  first  moment  to 
tell  you  of  my  new  home.  It  seemed  harder  to  part 
from  you  than  when  I  first  left  home.  I  cannot  get 
used  to  being  away  from  home  ;  itinerant  life  con- 
flicts wonderfully  with  flesh  and  blood.  I  feel  some- 
times like  casting  anchor  in  a  peaceful,  quiet  harbor  ; 
the  thought  of  never  having  '  a  local  habitation  '  and 
a  home  has  ever  been  sad  to  me,  and  throws  a  deep 
shade  over  life."     Thus  early  did  the  young  minister 


26  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

yearn  for  the  home  and  fireside  he  so  fully  enjoyed 
and  appreciated  ;  thus  early  did  his  mind  turn  to  the 
plan  that  was  so  soon  to  be  carried  out,  of  uniting 
with  a  Church  which  did  not  require  her  clergy  to 
travel  from  place  to  place.  Mr.  Cummins  always 
loved  the  Methodist  Church,  and  among  her  noblest 
ministers  were  some  of  his  dearest  friends.  Her  doc- 
trines he  could  always  subscribe  to,  but  love  for  a 
settled  home,  and  a  high  admiration  for  her  Liturgy, 
led  him  a  year  later  to  unite  with  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  then  so  simple  in  her  ritual. 

Journeying  from  Baltimore  to  Virginia,  he  gives 
a  full  description  of  the  wild  yet  exquisite  scenery 
about  Harper's  Ferry,  which  he  had  never  seen  be- 
fore, and  then  adds  :  "  I  arrived  in  Charlestown  about 
two  o'clock,  and  received  a  warm  welcome  from  Bro- 
ther Gere  and  his  family.  You  will  want  to  know 
how  I  like  my  new  home.  I  cannot  tell  you  yet,  as  I 
left  at  once  to  meet  my  appointments.  It  is  quite  a 
pretty  town,  superior  to  Bladensburg.  I  rode  Sat- 
urday ten  miles  to  my  station,  and  preached  twice  on 
Sunday  to  good  congregations.  The  churches  are 
nice  brick  buildings,  and  the  country  pretty."  The 
summer  of  1844  Mr.  Cummins  was  left  in  charge  of 
the  "  circuit,"  as  his  colleague  and  superior,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Gere,  was  absent  for  a  two  months'  vaca- 
tion. It  was  at  this  time  that  the  fame  of  the  young 
preacher  drew  crowds  from  all  parts  of  the  county 
to  hear  him.  His  letters  are  filled  chiefly  with  ac- 
counts of  his  work,  preaching  day  after  day  at  the 
stations  ;  busy,  earnest,  energetic,  he  never  missed 
an  appointment  no  matter  what  the  weather  was.  In 
pouring  rains,   blinding  snow-storms,   or    under  the 


THE    YOUNG   CIRCUIT-RIDER.  2/ 


scorching  rays  of  the  midsummer  sun,  he  might  have 
been  seen,  mounted  on  his  fine  black  horse  "  Char- 
ley," riding  miles  to  meet  an  engagement.  His  heart 
was  in  his  precious  work!  September  7th,  1844,  he 
says  :  "  Since  I  wrote  you  last  I  have  been  so  much 
engaged  that  I  scarcely  know  how  I  have  lived.  One 
thing  I  do  know,  that  I  have  lived  in  the  woods  a 
great  part  of  the  time  !  I  have  just  finished  with  our 
fourth  camp-meeting.  The  first  was  at  Harper's 
Ferry,  the  next  was  on  the  Winchester  Circuit ;  the 
third  was  held  in  the  Hillsborough  Circuit,  in  Loudon 
County,  and  was  a  delightful  one.  The  families  are  for 
the  most  part  people  of  wealth  and  refinement.  They 
seem  attached  to  me,  and  wish  me  to  be  with  them 
next  year.  My  last  camp-meeting  was  our  own,  and 
was  most  pleasant.  We  are  to  have  another  in  the 
woods,  to  commence  next  Friday.  This  will  wind  up 
for  this  year.  Hereafter  we  will  confine  ourselves 
to  '  temples  made  with  hands.'  "  This  summer  he  took 
a  delightful  trip  to  Niagara  Falls,  and  enjoyed  it  as 
only  such  natures  as  his  can  enjoy  the  beauty  of  God's 
handiwork.  "  Since  I  visited  the  Falls,"  he  writes, 
"  a  young  lady  fell  from  Table  Rock  and  was  in- 
stantly killed.  I  was  very  near  falling  in  the  same 
way  reaching  over  to  get  a  spray  of  a  pine  tree, 
the  undergrowth  concealing  the  edge  of  the  preci- 
pice !  I  shall  preach  in  Charlestown  twice  on  Sun- 
day." 

The  autumn  and  winter  of  1844-45  were  passed 
in  a  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  of  a  Methodist 
minister.  "  The  first  time  I  saw  Mr.  Cummins," 
writes  a  friend,  "  was  at  a  camp-meeting  held  in 
Jefferson  County.     It  was  in  the  early  part  of  Sep- 


28  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

tember  ;  the  woods  were  yet  rich  with  their  sum- 
mer dress.  1  shall  not  soon  forget  the  scene,  so 
novel  to  my  eyes,  as  we  entered  the  camp-ground. 
The  large  space  in  the  centre  was  arranged  for  the 
congregation,  during  the  services,  with  benches 
placed  as  in  a  church  ;  beyond  these  was  a  wide 
avenue,  and  on  each  side  of  it  at  regular  distances 
were  heavy  poles  erected,  on  which  was  fastened  a 
small  platform.  On  these  the  '  camp-fires  '  were  kin- 
dled at  night.  Still  beyond  this  avenue  was  the  row 
of  tents,  white  as  snow  and  strikingly  picturesque. 
At  one  end  of  the  camp-ground  stood  the  '  preacher's 
stand,'  with  accommodation  for  many  ministers. 
Around  this  was  a  railing.  It  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon when  I  arrived  with  some  friends,  and  already 
the  benches  were  filled  by  the  large  number  of  per- 
sons who  had  gathered  from  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. It  was  a  scene  for  Europe's  great  painter,  Rem- 
brandt, who  loved  to  put  on  canvas  just  such  pic- 
tures. The  strangely  weird  light  from  the  burning 
heaps  of  pine  wood  on  the  elevated  poles  ;  the  crowd 
filling  all  the  benches  and  leaning  in  groups  against 
the  huge  forest  trees  ;  the  white  tents  ;  and  the  minis- 
ters assembled  for  worship  on  the  platform — all  was 
most  impressive.  Soon  one  of  Wesley's  grand 
hymns  was  sung,  needing  not  the  rich  tones  of  an 
organ  to  reach  to  a  vast  distance  or  to  fill  the  hearts 
of  those  present  with  joy  ;  for  every  voice  joined  in 
the  words,  which  rose  up  in  sweetest  tones  to  the  starry 
vault  above.  The  service  left  such  an  impression  upon 
me  that  I  attended  the  meeting  again  on  the  Sunday 
morning  following  with  my  friends.  Mr.  Cummins 
was  chosen  the  preacher  for  the  day,    A  larger  throng 


THE    YOUNG   CIRCUIT-RIDER.  29 

was  present  than  on  Friday  night,  and  all  were 
quietly  waiting  for  the  services  to  commence.  The 
text  chosen  by  the  preacher  was  Acts  7  :  55-60.  In 
glowing  terms  he  pictured  the  scene  of  the  first  mar- 
tyrdom :  the  great  and  beautiful  city,  the  surround- 
ings of  the  young  Martyr,  his  audience  among  the 
most  learned  of  the  world — yet  '  were  they  not  able  to 
resist  the  wisdom  and  the  spirit  by  which  he  spake  ;' 
of  the  final  scene,  and  the  glorious  entering  of  the 
Martyr  into  the  heaven,  the  transcendent  brightness 
and  beauty  of  which  had  just  been  revealed  to  him. 
The  face  of  the  young  minister  was  all  aglow  with 
the  theme  occupying  his  thoughts,  and  earnestly  did 
he  urge  upon  his  hearers  the  great  need  of  their  so 
living  that,  if  need  were,  they  might  thus  lay  down 
their  lives  for  the  precious  Gospel.  Frequently  dur- 
ing that  winter  and  the  following  spring  I  was  priv- 
ileged to  listen  to  the  earnest  preaching  of  Mr. 
Cummins,  and  through  the  power  of  his  persuasive 
words  I  was  brought  myself  to  '  see  Jesus  '  and  to 
give  my  heart  to  him."  "One  evening  I  accom- 
panied," says  the  same  friend,  "  an  eminent  presbyter 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  from  New  York 
City  to  hear  him  preach  '  of  whom  so  many  spoke, ' 
and  although  the  former  was  greatly  prejudiced 
against  any  minister  not  episcopally  ordained,  on 
coming  out  of  the  rude  log-cabin  in  which  the  ser- 
vice had  been  held — for  at  that  time  there  was  no 
church  in  that  neighborhod — he  said  to  me  with  much 
feeling,  '  If  that  young  man  lives,  he  will  be  heard 
of  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  this  land.'  " 
Mr.  Cummins  was  then  not  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
Before  this  his  earnest  appeals  to  those  who  knew 


30  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

not  Christ  had  not  been  without  their  reward. 
Many  united  with  the  Church,  and  ascribed  their  con- 
version to  the  preaching  of  the  young  itinerant. 
During  this  winter  the  great  question  presented  itself 
constantly  to  his  mind,  i.e.,  whether  he  should  leave 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  unite  with  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  His  father  and  grand- 
father had  been  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
but  his  mother  and  sisters  and  many  loved  friends 
were  connected  with  the  Methodist  Church.  The 
conflict  was  for  a  time  severe.  He  feared  the  dis- 
memberment of  many  ties  which  bound  him  to  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  thought  many  would  censure 
him  for  leaving  the  church  of  his  youth  and  first 
love.  He  writes  to  his  sister,  under  date  of  March 
4th,  1845  :  "  I  have  almost  lived  an  age  in  the  last  six 
months.  I  am  perfectly  conscious  of  the  importance 
of  the  change  I  contemplate.  I  have  not  acted  has- 
tily or  without  a  careful  consideration  of  every  mo- 
tive, every  circumstance,  every  obstacle.  The  result 
is  tJiat  I  am  Jiappy  in  my  determination ;  friends  may 
forsake  me,  but  I  trust  others  may  be  raised  up.  I 
hope  I  have  discharged  all  my  duties  faithfully.  I 
have  labored  very  hard.  I  think  this  is  the  best  time 
for  me  to  leave  the  Methodist  Church,  as  my  two 
years  of  probation  have  closed."  In  another  letter 
he  says  :  "  My  consolation  is  that  the  motives  from 
which  I  have  acted  will  be  sufficient  to  support  me  in 
this  trial.  I  thought  at  first  I  would  be  obliged  to 
enter  a  Theological  Seminary,  but  from  a  friend,  a 
very  distinguished  minister  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  I  learn  that  this  will  not  be  necessary.  I 
shall  only  have  to  be  a  candidate  for  the  ministry 


THE    YOUNG   CIRCUIT-RIDER.  3 1 

and  read  with  a  bishop  for  six  months,  and  then  I 
can  be  ordained  deacon.  One  thing  I  have  decided 
on,  and  that  is  I  shall  not  apply  to  Bishop  Whitting- 
ham.  I  do  not  like  his  sentiments.  I  think  Bishop 
Lee,  of  Delaware,  will  be  my  choice." 


CHAPTER   III. 

PREPARATION   WORK. 

*'  Not  many  lives  but  only  one  have  we — 
One,  only  one  ; 

How  sacred  should  that  one  life  ever  be, 
That  narrow  span  ! 

Day  after  day  filled  up  with  blessed  toil, 
Hour  after  hour  still  bringing  in  new  spoil." — Bonar. 

Aged  23. 

THE  next  letter  we  have  is  dated  March  25th, 
1845,  Wihnington,  Del.  :  "  My  dearest  sister, 
I  arrived  here  safely  this  afternoon,  and  am  now  at 
the  hotel.  1  called  on  Bishop  Lee,  but  find  he  is  out 
of  town.  There  is  no  bishop  at  present  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Bishop  Lee  has  been  invited  to  perform 
episcopal  duty  in  that  diocese.  As  soon  as  I  see  the 
bishop  I  will  write  you.  He  has  a  very  lovely  home 
on  the  Brandy  wine.  I  hope  the  blessing  of  God  may 
accompany  me  in  all  my  movements,  and  that  I  shall 
be  directed  alone  by  him." 

April  8th,  1845,  he  writes  again  to  his  sister  from 
Philadelphia  :  "  After  presenting  my  papers,  etc.,  to 
Bishop  Lee,  we  called  on  the  Rev.  Dr.  McC,  rector 
of  Trinity  Church,  Wilmington,  who  is  the  chairman 
of  the  Standing  Committee.  He  told  me  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee  resided  in  different  parts  of  the 
State,  and  that  it  would  take  some  time  to  assemble 
them  to  consider  my  application  for  orders  ;  so  I  came 


PREPARATION  WORK.  33 

here  for  a  little  holiday.  Bishop  Lee  invited  me  to 
stay  with  him  in  his  beautiful  home  ;  but  I  wanted  to 
see  cousins  M.  and  D,,  and  so  came  to  Philadelphia 
Saturday."  He  speaks  in  this  letter  of  having  at- 
tended St.  Philip's  (Rev.  Dr.  Neville,  pastor)  in  the 
morning-,  St.  Luke's  in  the  afternoon,  and  St.  An- 
drew's at  night.  He  tells  of  his  friends  Bishop  and 
Mrs.  L.,  of  their  great  kindness,  and  of  how  "  lovely 
their  home  is — a  perfect  Eden."  In  a  letter  bear- 
ing date  April  19th,  1845,  written  in  Wilmington, 
he  says  :  "I  write  you  now  from  my  new  home, 
where  I  have  been  domiciled  about  ten  days.  I  am 
boarding  in  a  private  family,  and  have  a  delightful 
room.  I  wish  I  could  introduce  you  into  it  as  it  ap- 
pears just  now  !  The  fire  is  burning  brightly  before 
me,  the  table  at  which  I  am  writing  is  arranged  with 
books  and  papers  in  a  very  student-like  manner,  and  ■ 
all  the  furniture  is  neat  and  tasteful.  I  have  obtained 
some  flowers  for  my  companions,  and  some  of  the 
roses  are  blooming  very  nicely  in  the  window  beside 
me.  But  the  most  charming  part  of  all  is  the  magnifi- 
cient  view  I  have  from  the  windows.  The  Delaware 
River  is  spread  before  me,  and  boats  of  all  kinds  are 
constantly  passing  to  and  from  Philadelphia.  You 
can  have  no  idea  how  beautiful  the  scene  is  !  Thus 
you  see  that  I  am  nicely  fixed  as  regards  lodgings. 
Wilmington  will  be  a  pleasant  residence  during  the 
summer.  The  walks  are  very  beautiful,  especially  on 
the  banks  of  the  Brandy  wine.  I  have  formed  a  good 
many  acquaintances  already,  chiefly  members  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  L.  took  me  with  her  one 
evening  to  a  little  gathering.  I  find,  too,  some  old 
friends  here,  Mr.  C ,  Mr.  B ,  and  others.     The 


34  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

most  pleasant  place  to  me,  however,  is  the  bishop's 
home.  I  could  not  tell  you  what  noble  spirits  him- 
self and  wife  are.  They  are  all  sweetness  and  kind- 
ness and  gentleness.  Their  home  is  almost  an 
Eden  :  it  extends  to  the  banks  of  the  Brandy  wine,  sur- 
rounded by  beautiful  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  laid 
out  in  walks  and  terraces  and  lovely  beds  of  flow- 
ers. I  have  free  access  to  the  bishop's  fine  library, 
and  shall  make  good  use  of  it.  I  have  fine  opportu- 
nities for  study,  and  am  busily  engaged  a  good  part 
of  each  day.  It  is  necessary  for  me  to  pass  three 
examinations.  My  first  I  shall  pass  in  a  few  days, 
and  the  second  in  a  month  or  six  weeks."  "  I  forgot 
to  mention  that  to-morrow  I  am  to  be  confirmed  in  St. 
Andrew's  Church,  Wilmington,  by  Bishop  Lee.  This 
is  necessary  in  order  that  I  may  enter  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  and  be  ordained. ' '  In  another  letter 
to  his  sister  he  refers  to  the  great  beauty  of  Wilming- 
ton, and  of  the  many  friends  he  had  made  there. 
"  The  society,"  he  says,  "  in  the  church  is  very  pleas- 
ant. The  bishop  and  his  family  are  my  kind  friends. 
It  is  very  sweet  to  visit  there.  I  have  visited  the  old 
Swedish  church,  a  place  of  great  interest.  I  am 
becoming  more  and  more  attached  to  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  and  love  its  Liturgy.  I  was  con- 
firmed last  Sunday,  and  was  much  interested  in  the 
rite.  In  about  five  months  I  shall  be  ordained." 
May  1st  he  writes  :  "  To-day  I  have  passed  my  first 
examination.  Give  my  best  love  to  mother,  and  tell 
her  I  must  give  this  month  to  hard  study,  and  then  I 

will  go  to  see  her.     Give  my  love  to  Mrs.  J- ■  and 

all  my  friends  in  Baltimore.       I  suppose,   however, 
they  do  not  take  as  much  interest  in  me  as  they  did. 


PREPARATION  WORK.  35 

I  am  satisfied  if  I  can  do  the  Lord's  work  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church."  September  5th, 
1845,  he  writes  :  "  I  shall  remain  here  a  fortnight 
longer,  and  then  visit  you  before  my  ordination.  My 
health  is  now  very  good.  As  the  time  of  my  ordination 
draws  nigh,  I  begin  to  be  anxious  to  know  where  my 
home  will  be  at  first.  As  yet  it  is  all  uncertain  ;  I 
sometimes  think  of  going  to  Qhina.  What  do  you 
think  of  it  ?  There  is  an  offer  made  by  two  gentle- 
men of  our  church  to  give  a  thousand  dollars  a  year 
to  a  single  man  to  go  to  China  for  five  years.  Shall 
I  go  ?     Can  you  do  without  me  for  so  long  ?" 

In  a  letter  dated  September  19th,  1845,  he  writes 
to  his  sister  :  "  The  bishop,  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you, 
has  made  his  plans  so  that  my  ordination  will  be  two 
weeks  later  than  I  expected  ;  it  will  take  place  on 
the  26th  instead  of  the  12th  of  October.  I  to-morrow 
go  to  Philadelphia  to  be  present  at  the  consecration 
of  Bishop  Potter,  which  will  take  place  on  the  23d  ; 
from  there  I  go  to  New  York  for  a  few  days,  and  then 
return  to  Wilmington.  I  shall  remain  in  Wilmington 
a  week  after  my  return  in  order  to  pass  my  last  ex- 
amination, and  then  I  shall  be  with  you.  I  am  sorry 
you  manifest  so  much  opposition  to  my  going  to 
China  ;  for  although  I  have  come  to  no  decision  yet, 
still,  if  I  go,  I  should  regret  having  you  oppose  it.  I 
think  a  life  there  would  be  very  pleasant.  The 
bishop  wishes  me  to  settle  in  Delaware,  and  my  rela- 
tives all  want  me  in  Smyrna.  To  resist  the  earnest 
wish  of  the  bishop  and  the  desire  of  my  relatives 
would  seem  as  though  I  were  shrinking  from  duty, 
and  seeking  a  place  of  ease  and  profit.  I  am,  however 
perfectly  content  to  await  the  opening  of  Providence 


36  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

and  follow  his  direction.  Immediately  after  my  or- 
dination I  shall  take  charge  of  St.  Andrew's  for  two 
or  three  weeks,  at  the  request  of  the  bishop  during 
his  absence,  and  after  that  shall  go  on  to  my  parish, 
wherever  it  may  be.  Wilmington  is  more  pleasant 
than  ever  to  me.  We  have  just  had  a  fine  horticul- 
tural exhibition  very  creditable  to  my  little  State.  I 
hope  you  can  come  on  for  a  week  at  the  time  of  my 
ordination,"  Under  date  of  October  2d,  he  says: 
"  I  am  yet  unable  to  sa}^  where  my  first  home  will 
be,  but  I  am  informed  that  there  is  a  probability  of 
my  being  called  to  a  parish  in  Prince  George's 
County,  Md.  If  I  am  called  there,  it  will  be  altogether 
without  my  seeking.  It  is  an  interesting  parish,  and 
near  where  I  labored  as  a  Methodist  minister  ;  and 
my  old  friends  earnestly  desire  me  to  be  among  them 
again."  In  another  letter,  October  loth,  he  speaks 
of  having  passed  his  last  examination,  and  as  now 
ready  for  ordination.  We  have  before  us  his  ordi- 
nation papers  for  deacon's  and  presbyter's  orders. 
They  are  both  in  Bishop  Lee's  handwriting,  and  that 
for  deacon's  orders  declares  ' '  that  on  the  twenty-third 
Sunday  after  Trinity,  on  the  26th  day  of  October, 
1845,  ij^  ^t.  Andrew's  Church  in  the  city  of  Wil- 
mington," he  admitted  George  David  Cummins  to 
the  Order  of  deacons.  This  is  dated  the  same 
day,  "  in  the  sixth  year  of  his  consecration."  After 
his  ordination,  and  Bishop  Lee's  return  to  Wil- 
mington, Mr.  Cummins  went  to  New  York  to  visit 
his  friends  there.  He  spent  several  weeks  in  that 
city  and  in  Philadelphia.  During  these  visits  he 
preached  every  Sunday  in  some  of  the  churches,  and 


PREPARATION  WORK.  37 

made  many  friends  who  were  dearly  loved  by  him 
through  life. 

The  spring-  of  1846  found  him  the  assistant  minis- 
ter of  Christ  Church,  Baltimore,  the  Rev.  Henry 
Vandyke  Johns,  D.D.,  being  the  rector.  Here 
began  Mr.  Cummins's  first  zvork  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  By  the  side  of  one  of  God's  cho- 
sen servants,  a  man  whose  life  was  that  of  a  consist- 
ent, earnest  disciple  of  Christ — a  man  of  rare  love- 
liness of  character  and  great  pulpit  ability,  and  who 
wielded  an  influence  felt  throughout  the  State,  my, 
throughout  the  country — the  ardent  young  minister 
found  just  the  field  he  desired  for  his  labors.  The 
superior  wisdom  and  judgment  of  Dr.  Johns,  coupled 
with  his  wide  experience,  made  him  a  fellow-worker 
most  helpful  to  his  young  friend.  To  his  loving  coun- 
sels and  wise  admonitions  Mr.  Cummins  owed  much, 
and  through  life  he  delighted  to  refer  to  this  year 
spent  with  "dear  Dr.  Johns."  Frequently  he  was 
heard  to  say  that  the  intercourse  of  those  months  was 
worth  more  than  aught  else  to  him  ;  that  he  felt  that 
what  he  learned  by  the  side  of  such  a  man,  so  hum- 
ble yet  so  learned,  so  gentle  yet  so  strong  in  his  ad- 
vocacy of  the  truth,  so  wise  yet  so  "  like  a  little 
child,"  was  beyond  price  to  him  in  his  work  as  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel.  That  year  was  a  most  happy 
one  to  him.  His  work  absorbed  his  whole  time  and 
attention.  In  the  Sunday-school,  among  the  poor,  in 
the  pulpit  and  out  of  it,  wherever  he  could  aid  his 
beloved  brother,  there  he  was  to  be  found.  The 
teachers  and  scholars  of  the  Sunday-school  of  Christ 
Church,  Baltimore,  became  greatly  attached  to  their 


38  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

young-  pastor,  and  when  he  left  them  they  presented 
him  a  valuable  Oxford  Bible,  with  a  loving  in- 
scription upon  it  as  a  memento.  In  the  autumn  of 
1846  he  visited  New  York,  and  his  friends  in  Vir- 
ginia. They  had  not  seen  him  since  he  left  them  to 
go  to  Wilmington,  and  they  rejoiced  to  clasp  him 
once  more  by  the  hand.  Here  he  remained  some 
days,  and  then  returned  to  his  duties  in  Baltimore. 
In  a  letter  dated  December  22d,  1846,  he  writes 
to  a  friend,  speaking  of  a  severe  trial  through 
which  he  had  been  called  to  pass  :  "  And  so,  if  >ye 
now  rely  alone  on  the  arm  of  our  Heavenly  Father 
for  the  future  and  trust  ourselves  to  his  guidance, 
that  future  will  still  be  marked  by  his  hand,  and  will 
bring  to  us  richer  happiness  and  peace." 


-lEQR&E  ILDAVEH)   CUM  MUMS 


CHAPTER   IV. 

LIFE    IN    NORFOLK. 

"  Come  as  a  teacher  sent  from  God, 

Charged  his  whole  counsel  to  declare  ; 
Lift  o'er  our  ranks  the  prophet's  rod, 
While  we  uphold  thy  hands  in  prayer. 

"  Come  as  an  angel  hence  to  guide 

A  band  of  pilgrims  on  their  way, 

That,  safely  walking  at  thy  side, 

We  fail  not,  faint  not,  turn  nor  stray." 

James  Montgomery. 
Aged  25. 

ON  the  17th  of  June,  1847,  Mr.  Cummins  was 
elected  rector  of  Christ  Church,  Norfolk,  Va. 
This  was,  and  is  still,  one  of  the  largest  churches 
in  the  State.  The  number  of  communicants  while 
he  was  rector  was  four  hundred  and  fifty,  fifty  of 
whom  were  colored.  The  church  has  a  constitution 
by  which  a  board  of  trustees  is  elected  to  manage 
its  affairs,  and  a  rector  is  chosen  by  the  pew-holders 
instead  of  a  vestry. 

Previous  to  his  election,  and  in  response  to  a  cor- 
dial invitation  given  by  the  trustees,  Mr.  Cummins 
visited  Norfolk  and  preached  for  the  congregation. 
An  election  was  held  the  following  week,  and  he 
was  formally  called. 

Out  of  the  entire  number  of  pew-holders,  one  hun- 
dred and  ten,  only  two  were  opposed  to  Mr.   Cum- 


40  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

mins,  and  this  on  account  of  his  extreme  youth  ;  but 
these  gentlemen  subsequently  became  his  warm 
friends. 

On  the  24th  June,  1847,  Mr.  Cummins  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Alexandrine  Macomb,  youngest 
daughter  of  Hon.  L.  P.  W.  Balch,  of  West  Virginia. 
As  there  was  no  Episcopal  church  within  six  miles, 
the  ceremony  took  place  in  the  home  of  Judge  Balch, 
and  in  the  room  in  which  Mrs.  Cummins's  parents 
were  married  forty  years  before.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cummins  went  to  Wilmington,  Del.,  to  be  the  guests 
of  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Lee,  and  on  Sunday,  July  6th, 
Mr.  Cummins  was  ordained  by  the  bishop  to  the 
order  of  presbyters.  They  left  on  Monday  for  their 
new  home  in  Norfolk,  where  they  were  most  kindly 
entertained.  Norfolk  is  not  like  most  American 
towns,  having  been  settled  largely  by  English  fami- 
lies. It  is  a  quaint  old  seaport,  with  nothing  of  the 
tiewness  that  so  impresses  our  friends  from  England  on 
visiting  this  country.  Old  St.  Paul's  still  stands  un- 
injured by  time,  as  it  stood  in  the  days  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  marked  by  cannon-balls  when  the 
town  was  bombarded.  Old  houses,  narrow  streets, 
and  quaint  buildings  gave  it  in  1847  the  appearance 
of  belonging  to  the  "  mother-country  ;"  and  in  their 
wide  and  generous  hospitality  and  warm,  loving 
hearts  the  people  showed  themselves  children  of  the 
old  Virginians.  Six  happy  years  were  passed  here 
by  the  young  minister.  In  a  letter  from  Bishop  Lee, 
dated  June  22d,  1847,  he  says  :  "  My  dear  Cummins, 
I  congratulate  you  upon  the  mark  of  confidence  which 
you  have  received  from  the  parish  of  Christ  Church, 
Norfolk.     I  should  suppose  it  to  be  an  important  and 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  4I 

interesting  parish.  I  think  you  have  acted  rightly  in 
accepting  the  call,  and  trust  that  the  connection  will 
be  pleasant  alike  to  pastor  and  people,  and  produc- 
tive of  those  blessed  fruits  for  which  the  ministry  was 
established."  One  of  his  dearest  friends,  a  trustee  of 
Christ  Church  and  an  eminent  lawyer,  writes  thus  : 

"  Norfolk,  June  23,  1847. 
"  My  Dear  Friend  :  I  write  now  only  to  say  that  I  most 
heartily  rejoice  that  you  have  decided  to  accept  the  responsi- 
ble charge  of  our  congregation,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  I 
think  it  is  the  Lord's  doing.  May  He  fill  you  with  a  double 
portion  of  His  spirit,  and  give  you  for  your  reward  many 
precious  souls  !  I  should  have  regarded  your  refusal  as  a 
serious  evil  to  the  church,  and  well  calculated  to  disturb  our 
peace. ' ' 

During  his  pastorate  in  Norfolk  Mr.  Cummins 
had  the  support  and  co-operation  of  men  in  his 
church  who  were  truly  friends  and  pillars  of  strength 
— men  of  culture  and  high  social  position,  and  of  ear- 
nest piety.  It  was  a  happy  home  to  the  young  pastor, 
and  he  entered  on  his  work  with  all  the  ardor  of  his 
nature.  He  was  welcomed  at  this  time  by  his  be- 
loved bishop  (Meade)  in  these  words  : 

"  Millwood,  July  27,  1847. 
"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  Your  letter  inclosing 
your  dimissory  papers  is  received,  and  I  welcome  you  into 
the  diocese  of  Virginia,  and  pray  that  you  may  have  grace  to 
serve  the  large  and  interesting  congregation  committed  to 
your  charge  with  wisdom  and  holy  zeal.     I  hope  to  be  with 

you  in  November.     Present  my  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  C , 

and  believe  me  to  be  your  friend  and  elder  brother  in  Christ, 

"  William  Meade." 


42  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

Early  in  the  autumn  of  1847  ^^  earnest  spirit  per- 
vaded the  congregation  ;  many  came  to  ask,  ' '  What 
shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  The  eloquent,  heart-search- 
ing sermons  of  their  pastor  had  entered  into  their 
souls.  Two  confirmations  were  held,  one  by  Bishop 
Meade,  the  other  by  Bishop  Johns.  The  classes 
were  large  ;  among  them  was  Virginia  Hale  Hoffman, 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Cadwalader  Colden  Hoffman,  of 
New  York,  and  one  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  to  Cape  Palmas,  West 
Africa.  Her  memoir  was  written  by  her  loving  pas- 
tor while  he  was  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Washing- 
ton. In  the  letters  Mrs.  Hoffman  wrote  from  Africa 
she  speaks  frequently,  and  in  tenderest  terms,  of  all 
she  owed  her  beloved  pastor.  It  was  remarked  by 
strangers  in  coming  to  Norfolk  how  many  old  men 
there  were  in  Christ  Church  !  It  was  remarkable  to 
see  these  white-haired  men  sitting  Sunday  after  Sun- 
day listening  with  profound  attention  to  the  earnest 
words  which  came  so  rapidly  from  the  lips  of  the 
young  preacher,  for  he  was  not  then  twenty-four 
years  old  !  His  labors  never  ceased.  In  Sunday- 
schools,  Bible  classes,  parish  schools,  in  the  pulpit, 
in  the  homes  of  the  members  of  his  large  congrega- 
tion, among  the  poor,  he  was  seen  year  after  year 
working  as  few  men  do  ;  but  his  reward  was  the 
priceless  souls  that  he  was  allowed  to  present  to  the 
Lord.  Letters  and  testimonials  lie  before  us,  filled 
with  expressions  of  the  deepest  affection  from  the 
adults  and  children  of  his  ilock.  We  have  seen  the 
faces  of  Christ's  little  ones  light  up  with  brightest 
smiles  as  he  entered  the  Sunday-school  room.  A  clasp 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  43 

of  his  hand,  a  loving  smile  and  kind  word,  would  be 
treasured  throughout  the  week. 

During  his  residence  in  Norfolk  Mr.  Cummins 
spent  a  portion  of  each  summer  with  his  family  at  his 
father-in-law's  home  in  Jefferson  County,  Virginia. 
Here  he  was  always  urged  to  preach,  and  we  have 
known  the  country  people  and  well-to-do  farmers 
telegraph  in  country  fashion  from  one  to  another 
"  that  Mr.  Cummins  was  to  preach  at  Leetown,"  and 
very  early  on  Sunday  mornings  the  carriages  and 
wagons  would  surround  the  simple  little  Episcopal 
church  which  had  been  built  on  Judge  Balch's  estate 
by  the  congregation  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Church, 
New  York,  Rev.  Dr.-  Balch,  rector,  a  brother  of 
Mrs.  Cummins.  Many  came  six  and  eight  and  even 
ten  miles  over  rough  roads  to  hear  him,  and  when 
after  these  services,  held  amidst  the  grand  forest  of 
oak  and  maple  trees,  the  people  would  gather  round 
him  to  thank  him  for  his  comforting  and  helping 
words,  he  would  say  :  "  I  love  to  preach  to  these 
people  more  than  to  the  richest  congregation  in  this 
country."  His  love  for  a  country  life  was  very 
great,  and  when  his  duties  were  so  heavy  in  his  large 
city  congregations,  he  rejoiced  when  the  time  came 
for  their  annual  "flitting"  to  the  early  home  of  his 
wife,  where  he  could  enjoy  the  society  of  her  father 
and  mother,  whom  he  loved  very  dearly,  and  who 
felt  for  him  the  deep  affection  of  parents  to  an  own 
son.  In  August,  1848,  Mr.  Cummins's  first  child  came 
to  gladden  his  already  happy  home.  His  letters  at  this 
time  contain  frequent  notice  of  his  dear  babe.  He 
loved  children  so  truly  that  he  was  prepared  to  feel 


44  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

an  especial  tenderness  for  his  first-born,  his  "  sum- 
mer-child" as  he  used  to  call  her. 

During  the  summer  of  1849  the  cholera  broke  out 
with  fearful  violence  in  Norfolk,  immediately  after  his 
return  from  the  diocesan  convention  held  that  year  in 
Charlottesville.  Mr.  Cummins  was  at  his  post  of 
duty  through  all  those  terrible  months,  visiting  night 
and  day,  and  ministering  not  only  to  his  own  people 
but  to  many  poor  colored  persons,  who  suffered  most 
from  the  dread  pestilence.  So  soon  as  the  Board  of 
Health  declared  it  to  have  left  the  city,  excepting  a 
few  sporadic  cases,  the  young  pastor,  with  his  wife 
and  little  child,  went  to  the  home  of  his  father-in-law. 
There  he  was  for  a  time  prostrated  by  the  same  dis- 
ease, brought  on  by  great  exposure  and  unceasing 
duties. 

The  country  immediately  around  Judge  Balch's 
home  is  rich  in  historical  reminiscences.  At  Martins- 
burg,  six  miles  from  Judge  Balch's  residence,  General 
Stevens  of  the  Revolutionary  War  lived.  General 
Drake's  home  was  a  few  miles  to  the  south.  General 
Charles  Lee  resided,  after  the  Revolution,  on  the  ad- 
joining estate  ;  and  four  miles  north  General  Horatio 
Gates  passed  the  last  years  of  his  Hfe.  General  Ste- 
vens also  had  his  home  there.  The  descendants  of 
General  Washington  live  in  Jefferson  County,  and 
during  our  late  civil  war  General  R.  E.  Lee  and  Gen- 
eral McClellan  occupied  that  part  of  the  country 
with  their  vast  armies  for  a  long  time. 

Mr.  Cummins  returned  for  a  time  to  Norfolk 
after  taking  his  family  to  Jefferson  County,  and  he 
writes  under  date  of  July  nth,  1849  =  "  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  lonely  I  am  without  you  ;  but  I  am  in  the 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  45 

path  of  duty,  and  my  services  seem  so  much  needed. 
My  people  are  unwilling  that  I  should  stay  at  home  at 
night  alone,  lest  I  might  be  taken  ill  ;  so  I  shall  di- 
vide my  time  among  them.  It  is  with  deep  gratitude 
to  God  that  I  tell  you  I  am  very  well.  There  are  yet 
some  cases  of  cholera,  the  report  this  week  being 
nineteen  deaths.  ,  On  Sunday  I  had  all  the  services, 
but  Rev.  Mr.  Smith  assisted  me  in  the  communion. 
1  preached  from  the  text,  '  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up 
from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me. '  Was  it 
the  answer  to  father's  prayer  that  I  felt  so  strong 
through  all  my  duties  ?  Yesterday  morning  I  pre- 
pared my  address  to  be  delivered  at  the  commemora- 
tion of  President  Polk's  death.  They  selected  me  to 
avoid  making  it  a  political  affair,  which  it  would  have 
been  if  a  lawyer  had  been  chosen.  My  friends  advised 
me  to  accept  the  invitation.  "  Yesterday  (July 
15th),  I  preached  in  the  morning  on  missions,  it  being 
the  day  of  our  quarterly  collection."  In  a  letter, 
dated  August  30th,  1850,  he  writes  : 

"  I  feel  deeply  grateful  to  God  for  his  goodness  in  bringing 
me  safely  home  after  our  pleasant  summer  vacation.  I 
found  all  our  dear  friends  well.  They  made  many  inquiries 
about  you.  The  heat  this  summer  has  been  intense,  and  I 
am  glad  you  are  not  here." 

In  the  spring  of  1850  a  son  was  born,  and  this  dear 
child  was  an  only  son.  His  father's  and  grandfather's 
names  were  given  him  in  baptism.  Bishop  Johns,  of 
Virginia,  performing  the  ceremony.  In  this  letter  he 
further  writes  :  "  The  thoughts  of  all  are  occupied  now 
with  Virginia"  (Miss  Hale;  afterward  Mrs.  C.  C. 
Hoffman).   "  Yesterday  she  had  a  very  affecting  part- 


46  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

ing  with  her  *  mission  band.'  They  gave  her  a  large 
Bible  and  Prayer-Book  for  the  church  in  Cavalla. 
Virginia  wished  so  much  to  have  you  present  at  her 
marriage. ' ' 

The  inner  life  of  Mr.  Cummins  at  this  time  was 
marked  by  a  more  entire  consecration  of  himself  to 
God  and  to  the  work  of  his  Master.^  He  writes,  Sep- 
tember 1st,  1850  :  "  Let  us  strive  to  make  this  season 
a  period  from  which  we  shall  date  better  resolutions 
and  a  holier  life.  Let -us  consecrate  ourselves  anew 
to  his  service.  Let  it  be  the  daily  work  of  our  lives 
to  watch  over  our  hearts,  search  out  our  sins,  and  pray 
fervently  for  grace  to  make  us  God's  beloved  chil- 
dren. Meet  me  three  times  a  day,  morning,  noon,  and 
night,  at  the  throne  of  grace,  and  let  our  prayers 
mingle  together  for  the  abiding  presence  of  God's 
Holy  Spirit."  In  this  letter  he  speaks  lovingly  of 
"his  precious  children,"  and  sends  sweet  messages 
of  love  to  his  little  daughter,  for  whom  he  had  the 
deepest  affection.  He  also  mentions  how  busy  he  was 
visiting  among  his  people  and  in  other  duties.  He 
writes  : 

"The  early  service  was  held  at  6.30,  and  at  10.30  we 
had  the  sermon  and  communion.  The  congregation  was  very 
large.  It  was  Virginia's  last  communion  with  us,  and  at 
the  same  chancel  railing  where  she  had  first  communed.  I 
know  she  felt  it  deeply  ;  she  looked  unusually  sad.  In  Sun- 
day-school this  morning  she  said  ' '  how  earnestly  she  longed 
for  you  to  be  here. ' '  Her  bitterest  trial  is  the  view  many 
worldly  minds  i7i  the  Church  take  of  her  course.  Some,  as 
you  are  aware,  condemn  it  as  an  unnecessary  sacrifice,  not 
being  able  to  appreciate  her  lofty  views  of  duty  and  the  call  of 
God.     One  gentleman  went  so  far  as  to  tell  her  it  was  en- 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  47 

thusiasm.  The  effect  upon  her  showed  more  than  anything 
else  her  nobleness.  She  said  it  might  be  true,  and  set  to 
work  to  examine  herself.  It  grieves  my  heart  to  know  that 
the  Church  is  blighted  with  such  views,  such  infinitely  low 
views,  of  the  work  of  missions  and  the  need  of  great  sacrifices 
in  its  cause.  I  must  strive  to  do  my  duty  more  faithfully, 
and  drive  away  such  degrading  views.  Love  to  dearest 
mother  and  father.  Kiss  my  sweet  little  daughter  for  papa. 
Tell  her  about  me  often.  I  commit  my  dear  children  daily 
to  God  in  earnest  prayer." 

September  8th,  1850,  he  writes  ; 

"  Yesterday  I  read  prayers  at  6.30,  and  at  11  preached  to  a 
crowded  congregation  from  the  text  Ephesians  2:2.  In  the 
afternoon  I  preached  from  the  seventh  Psalm,  in  continuation 
of  my  course  of  sermons  on  the  Psalms.  The  church  was 
very  full." 

That  autumn  Mr.  Cummins  visited  Washington 
and  Georgetown,  and  preached  for  the  rectors  of  the 
two  churches  in  Georgetown.  His  family  accom- 
panied him,  and  together  they  enjoyed  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  capital.  About  this  time  he  made  a  trip  to 
Baltimore,  to  recruit  somewhat  from  the  heavy  labor 
he  had  gone  through.  He  left  Norfolk  on  Saturday, 
and  spent  the  Sunday  among  his  old  and  dear  friends 
in  Christ  Church.     He  says  : 

' '  I  started  for  Christ  Church,  and  went  first  into  the  Sun- 
day-school. All  were  delighted  to  see  me,  teachers  and  schol- 
ars ;  even  the  orphan  children  came  up  and  shook  my  hand 
heartily,  and  seemed  to  love  me  as  an  old  friend.  I  waited  in 
the  vestry-room  for  the  doctor,  and  astonished  him  not  a  little 
by  my  presence.     Many  old  acquaintances  in  the  congrega- 


48  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

tion  came  to  speak  to  me,  and  with  Dr.  Johns  were  urgent 
that  I  should  preach  ;  but  I  remembered  my  promise  to  you, 
and  resisted  all  their  entreaties.  I  am  happy  to  say  my  cold 
is  much  better,  and  I  hope  to  return  home  strong  and  ready 
to  work.  How  sweet  to  think  of  returning  home,  to  a  sweet, 
happy  fireside  !" 

He  received  after  his  return  to  Norfolk  the  follow- 
ing note  from  a  lovely  Christian  woman,  a  member  of 
his  congregation — one  who  was  called  home  many 
years  before  her  beloved  pastor  ceased  from  his  la- 
bors : 

"  My  Dear  Pastor  :  Allow  me  to  express  my  indebted- 
ness to  you  for  your  visits  of  mercy  in  days  of  trial.  I  cannot 
be  sufficiently  thankful  for  them,  and  for  your  sympathy  and 
prayers,  which  cheered  and  supported  me  on  the  brink  of  the 
grave.  My  prayer  is  that  when  your  labors  and  anxieties  are 
ended,  and  '  there  is  not  another  plant  for  you  to  water  nor 
another  vine  for  you  to  train, '  you  may  enter  the  peaceful 
port  of  heavenly  rest,  receive  the  Saviour's  welcome,  '  Well 
done  ! '  and  be  greeted  by  the  blessed  company  of  redeemed 
spirits  who  have  been  led  to  God  through  your  instrumen- 
tality. "  Most  gratefully  yours, 

"J.  G." 


CHAPTER  V. 

LIFE   IN  NORFOLK  (CONTINUED). 

"  Grasp  in  thy  hand  that  potent  sword 
In  heaven's  high  armory  prepared, 
Quick  to  attack  and  strong  to  guard — 
The  weapon  of  God's  Word  ; 
Then  strong  in  prayer  pursue  thy  way, 
Nor  foe  shall  crush  nor  arrow  slay." 

Aged  29. 

IN  one  of  his  letters,  dated  May  5th,  185 1,  Mr. 
Cummins  continues  to  tell  of  his  work  : 

"  I  preached  yesterday  from  Ephesians  6:17.  In  the 
afternoon  to  the  colored  people,  and  at  night  from  the  text, 
'  He  being  dead,  yet  speaketh.'  " 

During  his  entire  ministry  he  was  deeply  interested 
in  the  African  race.  His  churches  sent  large  sums  of 
money  and  boxes  of  clothing  and  books  to  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  missions  in  Liberia.  Quarterly 
collections  were  regularly  taken  up  in  all  the  churches 
of  which  he  was  pastor.  In  Norfolk  and  Richmond 
he  numbered  among  his  communicants  many  of  this 
neglected  race,  and  for  him  they  manifested  sincere 
affection.  His  sermon,  preached  in  1861,  "  The  Afri- 
can a  trust  from  God  to  the  American,"  received  the 
highest  encomiums  from  such  men  as  Robert  C.  Win- 
throp,  of  Boston,  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  of  Ohio,  Bishop 
Henry  W.  Lee,  of  Iowa,  Bishop  Meade,  of  Virginia, 
and  many  others. 


so  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

Mr.  Cummins  was  exceedingly  fond  of  music,  and 
in  the  first  years  of  his  married  life  especially  it  was 
his  habit  to  spend  an  hour  in  the  evening  in  singing 
with  his  family.  In  passing  through  Baltimore  in 
May,  1 85 1,  he  had  the  great  pleasure  of  hearl  ;  Jenny 
Lind,  and  of  her  he  thus  writes  : 

"  I  have  heard  her,  but  it  is  impossible  to  give  you  all  my 
impressions  in  a  letter.  Her  command  of  her  voice  is  almost 
superhuman,  and  its  compass,  volume,  and  power  wonderful. 
The  most  of  her  pieces  were  elaborate,  calculated  to  display 
her  perfection  in  art  more  than  the  sweetness  of  tone.  The 
"  Bird  Song"  did  this,  however.  She  sang  it  in  English. 
She  seemed  a  bird  singing  "  because  she  could  not  help  it." 
Her  face  is  one  of  the  most  benevolent  I  have  ever  seen — 
full  of  goodness,  kindness,  modesty,  and  love.  It  is  a  true 
index  of  her  character." 

On  reaching  Norfolk,  June  2d,  185 1,  after  a  short 
absence,  he  writes  thus  of  the  dear  parishioner  whose 
note  we  have  given,  written  on  the  previous  Easter 
Sunday  morning  : 

"  On  reaching  home  I  learned  of  the  death  of  Miss  J.  G. 
You  will  grieve  with  me  over  this  loss.  She  longed  most 
ardently  for  me  to  be  with  her  ;  spoke  of  me  in  most  affec- 
tionate terms,  and  sent  me  a  message  ' '  that  her  last  breath 
would  be  a  prayer  for  me. ' '  What  a  loss  we  have  met  with  ! 
Who  will  take  her  place  in  the  church,  in  the  prayer-meeting, 
among  the  poor  and  sick  and  the  little  ones  ?  The  children 
of  the  Sunday-schools  attended  her  funeral,  each  with  a  bunch 
of  white  flowers  to  lay  on  her  grave.  The  poor  families  to 
whom  she  so  lovingly  ministered  also  followed  her  remains 
to  the  grave.  They  have  lost  their  best  earthly  friend.  The 
church  and  the  entire  community  sorrow  deeply.  I  regret 
I  was  not  summoned  to  her  bedside  in  time  to  see  her.     I 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  5 1 

had  visited  her  almost  daily  during  her  long  and  severe  illness. 
Rev.  Mr.  Chisholm  took  my  place  at  the  funeral." 

The  summer  of  185 1  was  passed  by  Mr.  Cummins 
and  his  family  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  that  Mrs. 
Cummins  might  be  under  medical  care.  Her  health 
had  been  sadly  affected  by  the  climate  of  Norfolk.  Mr. 
Cummins  made  arrangements  to  leave  his  church  for 
three  months.  It  was  a  severe  trial  to  him,  for  as  the 
years  rolled  by  he  became  more  and  more  attached 
to  his  people.  They  were  most  kind,  however,  and 
their  affection  for  their  young  pastor  manifested  itself 
in  this  crisis  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prove  how  strong 
a  hold  he  had  upon  their  love.     He  says  : 

"  Oh,  that  God  may  direct  me  in  this  matter  !  I  pray  ear- 
nestly for  his  guidance,  and  I  know  you  will.  ...  I  have  been 
visiting  among  my  people  quite  constantly.  On  Sunday 
preached  to  a  large  congregation  from  the  text  ' '  Ye  are  not 
your  own,"  and  administered  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  com- 
municants made  a  large  congregation.  The  colored  com- 
municants, fifty,  were  all  present,  and  it  was  an  impressive 
scene.  In  the  afternoon  we  had  the  colored  Sunday-school, 
and  it  was  indeed  a  wondrous  sight.  The  lecture-room  was 
filled  to  overflowing.  The  school  is  larger  than  the  school  for 
the  white  scholars  in  the  morning.  The  white  teachers  are 
even  more  than  we  need.  A  lady  and  gentleman  from  Bos- 
ton were  present,  and  were  greatly  delighted.  They  con- 
tributed towards  the  sum  we  are  raising  to  purchase  books  for 

them.     Mr.  M preached  for  them  in  the  afternoon,  and  I 

preached  again  at  night  from  Acts  i  :  25. 

At  this  time,  and  when  separated  from  his  family, 
we  find  these  words  in  one  of  his  letters  : 

' '  I  feel  more  and  more  that  what  I  need  now  is  a  life  of 
more  entire  devotion  to  Christ,  more  prayer,  and  more  com- 


52  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

munion  with  God.  Oh  !  if  I  could  feel  I  was  each  day 
growing  in  grace,  in  holiness,  in  freedom  from  sin,  in  the 
subjugation  of  my  evil  heart,  in  self-knowledge  and  self-con- 
quest, what  an  infinite  blessing  it  would  be  !" 

But  while  thus  searching  his  own  heart,  others 
who  knew  him  best  could  see  daily  his  growth  in 
grace,  and  how  closely  he  walked  with  God.  This 
year  a  number  of  the  lambs  of  his  flock  were  removed 
bv  death.  In  his  letters  he  gives  "  humble  and  hearty 
thanks  to  God  for  his  great  goodness  in  sparing  his 

own  precious  L and  G . "     In  another  letter 

he  asks  how  does  G.  do  without  his  "  precious 
papa"  ?  The  love  he  had  for  his  children  was  in- 
tense, and  from  their  infancy  they  loved  him  with 
a  love  little  children  seldom  show  for  their  parents. 
They  grieved  for  him  in  his  absence,  and  their  joy 
knew  no  bounds  when  he  returned.  It  was  his  de- 
light to  make  his  home  a  bright,  happy  one  for  them  ; 
his  evenings  were  always  given  up  to  them  until  their 
bed-time  arrived.  Their  home  was  too  happy  a  one 
for  them  to  wish  to  go  elsewhere.  His  custom  was 
to  read  aloud  in  the  evening,  and  while  his  "  little 
ones"  were  present  the  selections  were  always  such 
as  they  could  appreciate  and  understand.  Music 
and  reading  made  the  evenings  bright  to  the  little 
family  circle,  and  they  were  anticipated  by  the  chil- 
dren with  great  delight.  The  months  of  June  and 
July  of  185 1  were  passed  in  the  North  with  his 
family,  and  we  find  him  writing  from  his  home, 
"  dear  old  Norfolk,"  again,  under  date  of  August  9th, 

the  birthday  of  his  beloved  L ,  his  eldest  child. 

Refreshed  and  strengthened  by  his  rest  and  change 
of  scene,  he  returns  with  delight  to  his  field  of  labor, 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  53 


and  enters  upon  his  duties  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of 
his  nature.  That  summer  he  had  decided  upon  a 
change  of  residence,  and  took  a  pleasant  house  imme- 
diately on  the  water,  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Nor- 
folk.    He  says  in  this  letter,  August  9th  : 

"  I  wrote  all  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  went  out.  Old 
familiar  faces  and  places  greeted  me  on  every  side.  All  wel- 
comed me  home  again,  but  I  could  not  look  towards  our  old 
home  and  its  vicinity  ;  all  brought  up  teeming  recollections 
of  by-gone  days.     Our  friends  are  clamorous  for  your  and 

the  children's  return.     To-day  is  my  sweet  L 's  birthday. 

God  bless  her  !  is  her  father's  prayer.  Oh,  how  much  we 
have  to  be  thankful  for  !  Pray  for  me  each  day  that  God 
may  guide  me  and  bless  my  labors  ! 

A  letter  from  his  friend  Bishop  Lee,  of  Delaware, 
reached  him  at  this  time.     It  is  dated 

"  Ingleside,  December  29,  1851. 
"  My  Dear  Cummins  :  Your  kind  letter  gave  me  much 
pleasure.  It  has  been  an  exceeding  encouragement  to  me, 
under  the  trial  which  elicited  the  "  Pastoral  Letter,"  to  be 
assured  of  the  sympathy,  the  good  wishes,  and  the  prayers 
of  the  brethren  whom  I  most  esteem.  Anything  like  con- 
troversy is  peculiarly  alien  to  my  taste,  and  no  personal 
consideration  could  draw  me  into  it.  But  the  present  is  a 
time  form  coynpromising  policy.  The  contest  is,  in  my  opinion, 
for  the  very  life  of  our  holy  religion  ;  and  if  we  would  secure 
the  approving  sentence  of  our  Great  Judge  at  the  last,  we 
must  be  steadfast  in  our  inaintenance  of  the  truth  of  his  Gospel. 

I  know  not  what  course  Mr.  B and  his  friends  will  adopt. 

But  if  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  frequently  meeting  Dr.  Balch,  and  was  at  the 
consecration  of  his  church  at  Chester  last  week.  He  has 
done  wonders  there,  and  I  trust  God  will  abundantly  bless 


54  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

his  labors  to  the  salvation  of  many  souls.  It  would  give  Mrs. 
Lee  and  myself,  as  well  as   your  Wilmington  friends,  great 

pleasure  to  see  Mrs.  C and  yourself  here  again.     Please 

to  remember  us  very  kindly  to  her.  When  in  this  region 
again  you  must  give  your  friends  at  St.  Andrew's  part  or  a 
whole  of  a  Sunday.  I  should  much  enjoy  a  visit  to  you  ; 
perhaps  some  day  I  shall  accomplish  it,  but  cannot  exactly 
say  when.     Believe  me  faithfully  yours, 

"  Alfred  Lee." 

Thus  early  was  it  felt  to  be  a  necessity  for  the 
evangelical  bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  to  stand  up  boldly  for  the  Truth.  The  cloud 
was  as  yet  but  "  as  a  man's  hand, "'but  it  was  a  cloud 
nevertheless. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  Mr.  Cummins  passed  through 
a  severe  trial  in  the  extreme  illness  of  his  wife,  and  as 
soon  as  she  could  be  moved  he  took  her  to  her 
father's  home  in  Virginia.  That  summer,  accom- 
panied by  his  family,  he  made  a  very  delightful  trip 
to  Niagara  Falls,  to  Smyrna,  Del.,  and  to  Cape  May. 
The  same  autumn,  after  his  return  to  his  duties,  the 
yellow-fever  appeared  in  Norfolk,  and  prevailed, 
though  not  extensively,  until  the  frosts  arrested  its  fur- 
ther progress.  Mercifully  the  autumn  was  unusually 
cold  for  that  region,  and  the  frosts  came  much  earlier 
than  usual.  Mr.  Cummins  had  no  cases  in  his  con- 
gregation, but  he  attended  several  sailors  in  the  most 
unpleasant  part  of  the  old  seaport  town.  They  all 
died,  but  were  greatly  blest  in  the  loving  ministra- 
tions of  the  young  minister,  and  his  heart  was  much 
cheered  in  believing  that  they  went  down  into  the 
Dark  Valley  with  a  sure  and  certain  hope  of  meeting 
him  who  had  so  faithfully  told  them  of  Jesus  in  the 
heavenly  home. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LIFE   IN   NORFOLK      (CONTINUED). 

"  Toil  on,  faint  not,  keep  watch  and  pray  ; 
Be  wise  the  erring  soul  to  win  ; 
Go  forth  into  the  world's  highway, 
Compel  the  wanderer  to  come  in." — BoNAR. 

Aged  31. 

THE  year  1853  found  Mr.  Cummins  still  wholly 
occupied  with  the  care  and  varied  duties  of 
his  large  and  important  parish.  During  the  five 
years  he  had  been  pastor  of  Christ  Church  many 
precious  souls  had  been  brought,  through  his  instru- 
mentality, to  "  see  Jesus"  and  confess  him  before 
men.  The  parish  was  a  peculiar  one  in  some  re- 
spects, caling  for  unceasing  parochial  labor  on  the 
part  of  the  pastor.  The  testimony  of  his  dear  people 
w^as  ever  that  of  grateful  hearts  to  one  who  so  un- 
tiringly ministered  to  them.  The  souls  he  had 
brought  to  Christ,  the  dead  he  had  laid  away 
until  the  resurrection,  the  little  ones  whom  he 
had  consecrated  to  God  in  baptism,  the  friends  he 
had  united  in  marriage,  the  sick  whom  he  had  for 
years  visited  and  cheered,  and  the  poor  to  whom  he 
had  ever  been  a  loving  friend,  all  testified  to  his 
never-failing  faithfulness.  He  loved  them  all  with  a 
devoted  love,  a  love  he  felt  was  peculiarly  deep.  They 
were  his  first  flock,  the  "  firstfruits"  of  his  ministe- 


56  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


rial  labors.  It  was  therefore  with  a  very  sad  heart 
he  thought  of  sundering  these  ties.  The  cUmate  of 
Norfolk  had  never  suited  his  wife  or  children,  and 
even  he  felt  its  debilitating  influence  greatly,  though 
he  had  never  allowed  this  to  interfere  with  a  faithful 
discharge  of  his  many  duties.  Summer  after  summer 
he  sought  strength  for  the  labors  of  the  following 
ten  months  or  more  in  his  wife's  early  home  in 
Virginia  and  elsewhere,  and  up  to  this  time  these 
annual  vacations  had  enabled  him  to  meet  the  de- 
mands made  upon  him.  Very  early,  however,  in  the 
spring  of  1853  it  was  thought  necessary  by  Mrs.Cum- 
mins's  medical  adviser  that  she  should  leave  Norfolk 
for  the  bracing  mountain  air  of  Northern  Virginia. 
Accordingly  he  and  his  family  left  their  home  for 
Baltimore,  where  Mrs.  Cummins  and  the  children 
turned  their  faces  towards  Jefferson  County,  and  Mr. 
Cummins  returned  to  his  lonely  home  and  to  his  duties 
in  Christ  Church.  His  first  letter  after  this  painful 
separation  is  dated  Baltimore,  April  30th,  and  is  filled 
with  an  account  of  his  visit  there  : 

"  I  walked  out,"   he  writes,  "  with    Mr.  F to   see 

Franklin    Square  and   the  church   now  being  built  for  Mr. 

B 's  congregation.   The  improvements  there  are  beyond  all 

expectation,  and  the  church  will  be  very  beautiful.     B 's 

perversion  has  produced  great  excitement  in  Baltimore.  I 
trust  it  may  do  good  eventually,  but  the  present  effect  is  to 
lower  the  church  very  much  in  public  estimation  in  Mary- 
land." 

In  a  letter  dated  May  2d,  he  writes  : 

' '  At  eleven  o'clock  we  had  service.  Rev.  Mr.  S assisted 

me.     I  preached  on  the  nature  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  it  being 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  57 

the  first  communion  of  many.  The  text  was,  '  What  mean 
ye  by  this  service  ?  '  We  had  a  large  accession  to  the  com- 
munion— all  the  candidates  who  were  confirmed  and  others. 

The  number  of  communicants  was  immense."      "  Mrs.  J 

gave  me  a  letter  from  her  husband  to  read.  It  is  chiefly  occu- 
pied with  an  account  of  the  effect  of  my  ministrations  upon 
himself.  Such  a  testimonial  from  such  a  man  is  a  reward  above 
all  price,  and  of  itself  would  be  worth  the  labor  of  a  lifetime." 

The  following  letter  was  written  at  this  time  to 
his  precious  children  : 

"  My  Sweet  Daughter  :  I  write  to  tell  you  how  much  I 
love  you,  and  how  sorry  I  was  to  leave  you  in  the  cars.  I  am  at 
home  in  Norfolk,  and  take  my  breakfast  alone.  I  wish  you 
were  here  to  sit  at  the  head  of  the  table  !  I  look  in  your  baby- 
house  every  day.  Poor  '  Lina  '  is  sitting  there  just  as  you 
left  her.  Georgiana  is  out  in  the  yard,  and  has  nobody  to 
play  with.  You  must  be  a  sweet  child,  and  be  mamma's 
comfort  till  papa  comes.     Papa  will  come  next  week. 

"  Good-by  now,  and  every  night  and  morning  pray  for 
your  own  dear  Papa." 

The  second  one  is  to  his  boy,  then  three  years  old. 

*'  My  Precious  Georgie  :  I  want  to  see  and  pet  you  very 
much.  I  expect  you  are  very  happy  riding  with  Uncle 
Charles.  How  is  the  colt  ?  and  the  little  chickens  ?  Is 
the  whip  worn  out  yet  ?     Good- by,  and  do  not  forget    your 

Dear  Papa." 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  dated  May  4th,  1853,  he 
says  : 

"  Bishop  Meade  arrived  very  unexpectedly  yesterday,  and 
I  have  been  much  of  my  time  with  him.     Yesterday  I  dined  at 

Mrs.    C 's.       She    is    much    more   cheerful.       She    and 

A send  much  love,  as  indeed  do  all  your  friends.      I 


58  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

visited  several  families  who  have  sickness  in  their  homes 
or  are  in  affliction.  Hearing  of  the  bishop's  arrival,  I 
went  to  Mr.  S 's  to  see  him.  I  spent  part  of  the  even- 
ing with  him.  This  morning  I  drove  out  with  the  bishop. 
His  health  is  very  feeble,  and  his  object  in  coming  here  was 
to  seek  improvement.  He  will  not  be  able  to  attend  the  con- 
vention.    We  visited  the  strawberry  farms,  and  he  enjoyed 

the  drive  very  much.     I  dined  at  Mrs.  P 's  with  him.     I 

came  home  immediately  after  dinner  to  prepare  my  lecture, 
and  did  not  go  out  again  until  it  was  time  for  service.  The 
bishop  was  present.  The  lecture-room  was  full,  but  the 
bishop  did  not  feel  well  enough  to  speak.     He  will  remain 

until  Monday.     Mrs.   Capt.  S sent  me  a  nice  breakfast 

this  morning.     To-morrow  is  Ascension-day." 

In  another  letter  he  says  : 

"  I  wish  you  could  see  our  cloth-of-gold  rose,  it  is  so  large 
and  beautiful.  Our  flowers  are  all  very  lovely.  Tell  Lizzie 
I  saw  a  beautiful  humming-bird  about  the  flowers  yesterday. 
My  spirit  is  holding  communion  with  you,  and  I  can  commit 
you  and  my  sweet  ones  to  the  care  of  our  merciful  Father. 
It  is  at  this  hour  I  miss  you  most,  but  I  am  striving  to  bear 
this  separation  cheerfully." 

The  Diocesan  convention  met  that  year  in  Wheel- 
ing. The  railroad  over  the  mountains  had  not  long 
been  completed,  a  great  triumph  of  engineering  skill 
It  was  the  first  time  the  delegates  could  reach  that 
city  by  rail.  Mr.  Cummins  arranged  to  leave  Nor- 
folk for  Wheeling  via  Baltimore  and  Harper's 
Ferry,  that  he  might  be  with  his  family  for  a  few 
days.     He  writes  : 

"  If  you  do  not  attend  the  convention  with  me,  I  will  try  to 
be  with  you  at  the  cottage  a  little  longer.  I  am  so  happy  to 
hear  that  the  dear  children  are  enjoying  themselves  so  much. 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  59 

How  touching  in  little  Georgia  asking  his  Grandpapa  *  to 
take  him  to  see  his  Papa  '  !  Oh,  how  I  long  to  see  you 
again  !  But  I  must  repress  all  longings.  God  is  so  good 
and  kind  and  merciful  to  us  that  any  but  a  contented  state 
of  mind  would  be  sinful.  Our  cup  he  makes  to  run  over  ; 
and  what  a  blessing  to  have  so  lovely  a  spot  as  father's 
home  to  visit  !     I  pray  for  you  three  times  a  day. ' ' 

May  6th  he  writes  :  » 

*'  Yesterday  I  dined  at  Mr.  P 's  with  the  bishop,  and 

visited  with  him.     After  I  left  him  I  went  to  Mrs.  T 's,  to 

Mrs.  James  T 's,  who  has  been  quite  ill  ;  to  Mrs.  S 's, 

and  to  Mrs.  W 's.  All  send  much  love  to  you.  This  morn- 
ing I  drove  out  with  Bishop  Meade  ;  he  wished  to  visit  some  of 

our  prettiest  gardens.     We  went  to  Mrs.  S 's  ;  her  place  is 

looking  beautiful.  She  is  very  feeble.  From  there  we  went  to 
Rev.  Mr.  Jackson's  and  spent  an  hour.  I  then  drove  home 
with  the  bishop,  and  at  his  request  read  to  him  my  treatise 
on  "  The  Romish  and  Reformed  Theories  of  Justification  Con- 
trasted." He  expressed  great  satisfaction  with  it  and  advised 
its  immediate  publication,  and  offered  to  publish  it  at  his  own 
expense.  He  frequently  receives  money  from  persons  which 
he  appropriates  in  this  way,  and  indeed  nearly  all  his  own  in- 
come is  expended  thus.  A  short  time  ago  a  gentleman  wrote 
to  him  from  North  Carolina,  stating  that  his  sister  left  the 
bishop  $500,  to  be  expended  as  he  pleased.  He  is  going  to 
use  it  to  publish  Archbishop  Whately's  '  Cautions  for  the 
Times.'  I  write  at  night.  My  heart  is  over  the  Blue  Moun- 
tains, but  I  commit  you  and  my  sweet  children  in  prayer  to 
a  kind  Protector.  The  bishop,  with  some  of  the  clergy, 
thinks  of  going  to-morrow  to  visit  Lake  Drummond,  in  the 
Dismal  Swamp.  The  scenery  is  said  to  be  of  surpassing 
beauty.  I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity,  for  I  may  not  have 
another.     To-day  I  dined  at  Mr.  W 's,  and  then  had  ser- 


6o  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

vice  and  baptism  in  the  church.  I  took  tea  with  the  bishop 
and  Mr.  Jackson." 

About  this  time  he  writes  from  Cumberland,  Md., 
on  his  way  to  the  convention  : 

' '  By  the  protecting  care  of  our  heavenly  Father  I  am  safely 
on  my  journey  thus  far.  We  took  the  cars  at  Kearneysville 
at  12.30,  and  at  once  found  ourselves  in  the  company  of  a 
large  number  of  our  clergy.  The  heat  was  excessive  and  the 
dust  most  annoying,  and  we  had  a  most  unpleasant  ride  ;  I  was 

glad  you  were  not  with  me.     Mr.  H ,  our  delegate  from 

Christ  Church,  and  his  wife  were  in  the  cars.  I  was  glad  to 
meet  them.  The  country  through  which  we  passed  is  very 
beautiful  and  the  scenery  wild  in  some  places.  To-morrow 
we  rise  at  two  o'clock,  and  leave  in  the  train  at  three  o'clock  ! 
It  is  200  miles  to  Wheeling." 

In  the  same  letter  he  writes  : 

' ' Eight o' clock  P.M. — ^We  have  just  returned,  my  dearest  wife, 
from  a  walk  to  the  top  of  one  of  the  hills  surrounding  the  town. 
The  view  is  one  of  the  finest  I  have  ever  seen,  The  hills  rise  to 
a  lofty  height  on  every  side,  and  in  the  centre  lies  the  town  of 
Cumberland,  the  Potomac  River  winding  through  the  valley 
and  among  the  hills.  Beyond  rise  mountains,  stretching  away 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  Standing  on  the  summit, one  has  a 
vivid  idea  of  the  triumph  of  mind  over  the  material  world  :  it 
is  almost  inconceivable  how  a  railroad  could  be  made  to  pierce 
these  mountain  ranges.  It  is  a  comforting  thought  to  me  to 
know  that  all  my  loved  ones  follow  me  in  my  journey  with 
their  prayers." 

At  this  time  Mr.  Cummins  received  an  urgent  in- 
vitation to  make  the  annual  address  before  the  Cadets' 
Bible  Society  of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  at 
Lexington,  Va.     For  this  purpose  he  left  home  June 


LIFE  IiV  NORFOLK.  6 1 

1 2th,  for  Lexington.  On  the  i6th  he  writes  from 
the  Institute  : 

"  My  Beloved  E :  I  write  you  at  last  from  the  end  of 

my  journey,  and  with  a  grateful  lieart  to  a  kind  heavenly  Father, 
for  my  safe  arrival  and  good  health.  The  ride  in  the  stage 
of  sixteen  hours  was  most  fatiguing.  The  day  was  very  hot, 
and  the  turnpike  dusty.     I  rested  well   at   Staunton,  and  the 

next  morning  took  the  stage  again  for  Lexington.     Col.  S 

came  down  to  the  hotel  for  me  in  his  carriage,  and  we  drove 
to  his  house,  where  I  am  now  staying.  I  am  fully  repaid  for 
all  my  fatigue  by  the  beauty  of  this  country.  The  Institute 
is  on  an  eminence  overlooking  the  finest  scenery  on  every 
side  ;  mountains  rising  in  grandeur,  and  most  lovely  valleys 
below  them.  I  think  it  is  even  more  beautiful  than  the  coun- 
try around  the  University  of  Virginia.  The  Institute  is  a 
noble  building,  yet  unfinished,  in  the  Tudor-Gothic  style, 
and  so  also  are  the  homes  of  the  professors.  The  Norfolk 
boys  have  been  to  see  me.  They  are  among  the  best  students 
in  the  place.  My  address  is  to  be  delivered  to-morrow  night, 
and  I  am  also  to  preach  for  them  on  Sunday.  The  Presby- 
terian Church  is  kindly  offered  to  us  for  Sunday  night,  it  be- 
ing a  larger  building.  I  have  seen  the  Southern  Churchman 
of  last  week.  It  contains  my  letter,  but  not  the  address  ; 
that  will  appear  next  week.  I  find  I  cannot  return  to  Jeffer- 
son, but  will  have  to  go  at  once  to  Norfolk.  I  could  not  re- 
main over  the  24th  [their  wedding-day],  even  were  I  to  try  to 
reach  you  this  week,  and  return  to  Norfolk  in  time  for  Sun- 
day's duties.  I  will  send  my  gift  of  love,  however.  What 
cause  have  we  to  bless  God  for  all  his  mercies  !  True,  we 
have  trials  and  sorrows,  but  they  may  be  made  our  most 
precious  blessings.  Earnestly  do  I  join  you  in  the  prayer 
that  God  will  make  us  more  wholly  his.  I  have  made  the 
acquaintance  of  all  the  professors,  and  it  is  a  cause  of  great 
thankfulness  that  they  are  all — seven  in  number — Christians. 


62  GEORGE  DAVID   CUAIMINii. 

Four  are  members   of  our  church,  and  three  Presbyterians. 

Col.  S is  a  most  interesting  man,  eminently  pious,  and 

has  had  serious  thoughts  of  entering  the  ministry,  but  Bishop 
Meade  thinks  his  position  here  even  more  useful  than  that  of 
a  minister.  He  has,  indeed,  a  cure  of  souls.  Four  times  a 
week  he  has  prayer-meetings  for  the  cadets,  and  has  been 
instrumental  in  the  conversion  of  many.  His  home  is  near 
the  Institute,  and  by  the  lawn  where  the  cadets  parade  and 
drill.  This  is  very  interesting.  Both  evenings  I  have  been 
here  they  have  had  a  drill  of  flying  artillery,  and  the  rapid 
firing  of  the  cannon  is  very  beautiful.  This  evening  they 
are  to  have  a  battalion  drill  of  the  whole  corps,  and  it  is  said 
to  be  a  very  fine  sight.  My  address  is  to  be  delivered  at 
eight  o'clock  to-night  in  the  Episcopal  church. 

"  Saturday  morning,  June  i8f//. — My  thoughts  turn  to  you 
with  pleasure  this  sweet  morning,  and  I  try  to  imagine  how 
you  are  all  engaged.  My  own  darling  children  are  before  me 
in  all  their  loveliness.  I  have  wished  for  them  so  often  to 
see  the  parades  and  drills  of  the  cadets.  You,  who  have 
been  at  West  Point,  know  how  interesting  and  beautiful  it  is. 
Last  evening  we  had  a  battalion  drill,  and  the  rays  of  the  set- 
ting sun  on  their  guns  was  very  striking  in  its  effect.  Our 
Norfolk  boys  are  doing  very  well.  Last  night  I  delivered  my 
address  to  the  cadets.  The  church  was  very  full :  all  the 
cadets  were  present,  as  were  the  students  of  Washington  Col- 
lege. It  occupied  an  hour  in  the  delivery.  I  shall  try  to  get 
to  the  Natural  Bridge  before  leaving  ;  it  is  only  thirteen  miles 
from  Lexington.  The  Board  of  Visitors  meet  here  on  Mon- 
day for  the  annual  examination,  and  will  be  received  by  a 
grand  review  and  salute  by  the  cadets. 

"  J^we  o'clock  P.M. — I  have  just  received  letters,  forwarded 
to  me  at  this  place,  announcing  my  election  to  the  Rectorship 
of  St.  James's  Church,  Richmond.  The  official  announcement 
from  the  wardens  is  accompanied  by  a  letter  from  a  Mr. 
D ,    who  states   that   I   was   elected  on   the  first  ballot. 


LIFE  IN  NORFOLK.  6l 


Oh,  that  God  may  direct  me  aright  in  this  matter  !  My 
constant  cry  must  be  to  him.  The  wardens  wish  me  to  act 
at  once,  and  all  my  plans  are  changed.  I  will  write  imme- 
diately to  Bishop  Meade.  Ask  dear  father  and  mother  to 
write  me  their  prayerful  opinion.      Pray  for  me  earnestly." 

From  the  "Address,"  which  was  published  in 
pamphlet  form,  we  quote  a  single  passage  : 

"  Eight  hundred  years  ago  all  Europe  rang  with  the  sound 
of  preparation  for  one  of  the  most  stupendous  movements  to 
which  the  energies  of  nations  were  ever  summoned  :  A 
barefooted  hermit  from  India  had  gone  through  the  lands, 
rousing  the  multitudes  by  a  burning  eloquence  to  revenge 
the  wrongs  of  the  Christian  upon  the  infidel  and  the  Saracen. 
The  Holy  Sepulchre  of  Christ  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Moslem^, 
and  to  wrest  it  from  such  foul  pollution  was  now  the  watch- 
word of  the  vast  millions  of  Crusaders.  All  the  chivalry  of 
Europe  responded  to  the  call,  its  nobility  rallied  to  the 
standard  ;  unnumbered  masses  armed  themselves  for  the 
strife.  The  ripening  grain  was  left  unreaped  upon  the  har- 
vest-field ;  the  crowded  marts  of  commerce  were  depopu- 
lated ;  kings  laid  down  their  sceptres  to  take  the  sword,  and 
like  the  locusts  of  the  East  the  darkening  hosts  swept  on- 
ward towards  the  Holy  Land  and  City.  Alas  !  how  different 
the  ending  !  Millions  perished  in  the  fruitless  effort,  and  the 
Moslem  reigned  secure  in  his  ascendency, 

"  A  nobler  Crusade  is  that  to  which  we  are  called  ;  infi- 
nitely more  sublime  in  its  aims,  in  its  motives,  in  its  results. 
It  is  a  crusade  not  to  recover  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from  the 
infidel,  hut  to  recover  the  world  back  to  God  j  not  to  wrest  from 
profane  hands  the  tomb  of  Christ,  but  to  plant  his  Cross  in 
every  land,  and  cause  every  knee  to  bow  before  its  sway.  It 
is  a  crusade  against  sin  ;  against  evil  in  every  form  ;  against 
gigantic  systems  of  error  grown  hoary  by  age  ;  against  debas- 
ing idolatry,  degrading  superstition  ;  against  oppression  and 
ignorance,  despotism  and  vice.     Be  this  your  elected  work." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CALL   TO    RICHMOND. 

"  In  his  love  if  thou  abide, 
He  will  guide." 

"  And  the  Lord  shall  guide  thee  continually." — Is.  63  :  11. 

Aged  31. 

THE  following  letter  was  written  while  Mr,  Cum 
mins  was  the  guest  of  the  Military  Institute  : 

"Lexington,  Va.,  June  20,  1853. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  received  on  Saturday  evening  a  let- 
ter from  the  wardens  of  St.  James's  Church,  Richmond,  an- 
nouncing my  election  as  their  pastor  ;  and  before  taking  a 
step  in  the  matter  I  desire  to  lay  before  you  my  position, 
and  to  receive  your  counsel  and  advice.  You  know  well 
how  pleasantly  I  have  been  situated  in  Norfolk,  and  my  high 
appreciation  of  that  dear  people.  You  know,  also,  that  God 
has  blessed  my  labors  abundantly,  and  given  me  many  seals 
to  my  ministry.  And  at  the  close  of  six  years  of  labor  among 
them  it  is  not  unbecoming  in  me  to  say  that  I  possess  their 
confidence  and  love  in  no  small  degree. 

"  With  all  this,  however,  there  has  been  for  some  time  past 
a  cause  of  deep  anxiety  and  trouble  to  me,  in  the  apparently 
injurious  effect  of  the  climate  upon  my  wife's  health.  We 
have  struggled  against  this  conviction  for  a  long  time,  in  the 
hope  that  a  change  might  occur  for  the  better.  It  has  not 
proved  so,  however,  but,  on  the  contrary,  she  seems  less  able 
to  live  in  Norfolk  than  ever  before.  The  result  is  that  every 
summer,  or  a  period  of  four  or  five  months  in  ench  year,  mn'^t 
be  passed  away. 


CALL   TO  RICHMOND.  65 

This  trial  has  often  caused  us  to  anticipate  the  necessity  of 
a  removal  to  a  different  atmosphere,  but  heretofore  no  special 
opening  has  appeared  before  me.  We  have  awaited  God's 
providence,  and  I  must  do  my  wife  the  justice  to  say,  that 
she  has  never  desired  me  to  take  a  step  looking  to  a  change 
on  her  account. 

"  Now,  however,  a  field  is  presented  to  me  elsewhere,  to- 
tally unsolicited  on  my  part.  And  now  arises  the  struggle 
between  these  opposing  influences.  But  for  this  one  cause  of 
anxiety  I  should  not  consider  an  invitation  of  this  kind,  so 
strong  is  my  attachment  to  my  dear  people.  I  write  now  to 
ask  your  advice  in  my  perplexity.  At  the  same  time  I  will 
earnestly  seek  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  I  may 
be  permitted  to  take  no  step  other  than  His  providence  may 
mark  out  for  me.  I  trust  also  to  have  an  interest  in  your 
prayers. 

"  I  am,  with  much  affection,  faithfully  yours  in  Christ, 

"Geo.  D,  Cummins. 
"  Rt.  Rev.  William  Meade." 

To  this  letter  Bishop  Meade  sent  the  following  re- 
ply : 

"  Danville,  Va.,  June  24,  1853. 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  have  just  reached  this 
place,  and  received  your  letter  from  Lexington,  and  as  the  mail 
goes  out  to-morrow  morning  I  must  write  a  line  at  once.  Most 
deeply  shall  I  feel  for  the  people  of  Christ  Church.  Norfolk, 
should  you  leave  them,  as  I  know  not  where  they  will  find  one 
to  take  your  place  who  will  fill  it  to  their  satisfaction  and 
edification,  but  I  am  not  justified  in  undertaking  to  decide 
upon  the  point  on  which  the  question  turns  in  your  own  mind 
and  judgment.  That  must  be  left  to  yourself,  after  faithful 
prayer  for  divine  guidance.  If  you  must  go,  I  would  rather 
you  would  go  to  Richmond  than  to  any  other  place  in  or  out 
of  the  diocese.  I  can  say  no  more.  My  love  to  Mrs. 
Cummins.  Most  truly  yours,  W.   Meade." 


^^  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


The  letter  from  the  wardens  of  St.  James's  Churchy, 
Richmond,  Va.,  is  as  follows  : 

"Richmond,  Va.,  June  t6,  1853. 

"  Dear  Sir  :  As  wardens  of  St.  James's  Church  in  this 
city,  the  vestry  have  made  it  our  duty  to  inform  you  at  once 
that  at  a  meeting  held  this  afternoon  they  elected  you  to  the 
rectorship  of  said  church.  Permit  us  to  add  that  we  hope 
that  you  may,  under  Divine  Providence,  deem  it  your  duty  to 
accept  the  call  thus  tendered  to  you,  and  that  you  will  inform 
us  at  your  very  earliest  convenience  of  your  determination.  We 
have  been  for  some  time  a  flock  without  a  pastor,  and  it  is 
very  important  that  we  should  hear  from  you  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. 

' '  With  sentiments  of  the  highest  esteem,  we  are 

"  Your  brothers  in  Christ, 

"  H.  J.   Christian,    )   t^^„^,„- - 
B.  B.  Minor,  [  ^Vardens. 

Under  date  of  Lexington,  June  21st,  1853,  Mr. 
Cummins  writes  : 

"  How  I  long  to  be  with  you  in  this  time  of  anxiety  !  I 
have  written  to  Bishop  Meade,  and  will  see  the  vestry  in 
passing  through  Richmond,  but  shall  not  give  my  answer  then. 

Col.    S urges   me  to   come   here.       Saturday   night    I 

preached  to  the  cadets;  subject,  the  'Voyage  of  Ulysses.' 
Sunday  morning,  '  Henry  Martyn  a  Model  for  Young  Men  ;' 
and  at  night,  '  John  Randolph  as  a  Man  and  a  Statesman  ;' 
and  last  night  the  subject  was  '  The  Conflict  between  Christ  and 
Satan  for  the  Soul  of  Man. '  The  church  was  full,  the  cadets 
all  present ;  they  seemed  much  interested,  and  I  trust  good 

was  done.     I  breakfasted  at  Col.  McD 's,  and  took  tea  at 

Dr.  W 's,  the  Presbyterian  minister  here.  I  leave  Lex- 
ington to-day  for  Staunton,  thence  to  Richmond,  and  then 
to  Norfolk." 


CALL   TO  RICHMOND.  ^7 


In  a  letter,  dated  Richmond,  July  ist,  1853,  on 
his  way  to  Norfolk,  he  speaks  of  the  intense  heat, 
and  of  the  contrast  between  the  city  and  the  country 
life  he  loved  so  well,  but  of  the  comfort  he  always 
felt  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties,  and  con- 
eludes  thus  : 

"  Try,  my   beloved  E ,  to  look  more  to  your  Saviour 

for  strength,  and  he  will  hold  you  up.  My  chief  comfort  in 
this  sad  separauon  is  to  pray  for  you,  and  commit  you  wholly 
to  the  care  of  our  blessed  Saviour.  May  he  keep  you  m  the 
hollow  of  his  hand  !  May  he  be  to  you  now  in  the  place  of 
your  husband  !  May  he  sanctify  every  trial  to  your  soul's 
eternal  good,  and  may  he  keep  us  both  close  to  himself  and 
f\t  us  for  his  heavenly  kingdom  !  Pray  for  me.  Love  to 
all,  and  kisses  for  my  precious  '  Lily  '   and  little  man." 

In  another  letter,  dated  July  2d,  he  mentions  hav- 
ing just  heard  of  the  sudden  death  of  one  of  his  most 
prominent  parishioners  and  kindest  friends.  He  also 
mentions    having  received  letters  from  two   of   the 

vestry    of    St.  James's    Church,   Mr.  D and  Mr. 

B . 

"  I  earnestly  hope  the  determination  to  accept  this  call  is 
of  God.  It  is  gratifying  to  learn  of  the  interest  with  which  my 
elecdon  is  received  in  Richmond." 

July  2d  again  he  writes  : 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  Mrs.  S .  and  it 

was  one  of  the  saddest  I  ever  paid.    She  gave  me  the  particu- 

j.^rs  of  F 's  death,  and  says  she  is  perfecdy  resigned  to  the 

^vill  of  God.  He  was  at  dinner  Monday  ;  on  Tuesday  was 
very  ill,  and  asked  '  when  will  Mr.  Cummins  be  here  ? '  It  was 
so  very  sudden  !  She  told  me  of  Mr.  J having  told  them 


68  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

of  the  call  to  Richmond,  when  her  husband  exclaimed,  '  Oh, 

what  a  loss  to  us  !  but  we  must  not  be  selfish.'     Mrs.  S • 

asked  me,  '  Are  you  going  to  leave  us  ? '  I  told  her  what  a 
severe  trial  it  had  been  to  have  to  decide  such  a  question, 
but  that  she  knew  my  difficulties.  She  said  yes,  she  knew 
all ;  that  they  ought  not  to  wish  to  keep  me  always  ;  that  she 
was  so  thankful  for  my  ministry — that  it  had  been  blessed  in 

bringing    F to  a  knowledge    of    salvation.     She  added 

that  it  would  make  no  difference  where  we  went,  she  would 
love  us  just  the  same,  and  that  if  it  were  a  question  of  health 
it  was  my  duty  to  go.  Write  to  her,  I  know  it  will  comfort 
her.  I  dined  at  Mrs.  Selden's.  They  appreciate  my  motive 
for  leaving,  though  they  express  great  regret  at  the  prospect. 
I  was  called  away  from  dinner  to  baptize  a  very  ill  child. 

This  afternoon    I  will  visit  Mr.   John  S and  Mrs.   Dr. 

C .     Good-by.     Kiss  my  precious  children,  and  give  love 

to  all  the  dear  ones.      Pray  for  me." 

Mr.  Cummins  accepted  the  call  to  St.  James's 
Church,  Richmond,  July  3d,  and  wrote  to  the  vestry, 
saying  he  would  enter  on  his  duties  September  ist, 
1853.  To  this  the  vestry  readily  concurred,  as  it 
would  enable  them  to  have  the  church  thoroughly 
repaired.  Their  letter  in  reply  to  his  concludes  with 
the  following  words  : 

"  The  vestry  most  heartily  unite  with  you  in  the  prayer 
that  your  acceptance  of  their  call  may  be  the  means  of  pro- 
moting the  glory  of  our  common  Master,  and  the  spiritual  wel- 
fare of  the  congregation  intrusted  to  your  charge.  Permit  us 
to  add  that  we  hail  your  coming  amongst  us  as  a  new  era  in 
this  part  of  the  Lord's  vineyard  to  which  we  are  attached, 
and  believe  that  a  wide  field  of  usefulness  lies  open  before 
you." 


CALL   TO  RICHMOND.  69 

About  this  time  Mr.  Cummins  received  the  follow- 
ing letter  from  one  of  his  vestry,  afterwards  a  very 
warm  friend  : 

"  Richmond,  June  27.  1853. 
* '  J^ev.  G.  D.  Cujfimi/is  : 

"  Dear  Sir  :  Although  I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  a  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  you,  yet  as  a  vestryman  of  St.  James's 
Church  I  feel  that  I,  may  approach  you  in  respect  to  your 
recent  election,  and  the  relation  I  trust  we  shall  in  a  short 
time  sustain  to  each  other.  And  first  let  me  assure  you  of  the 
general  favor  your  election  meets  here  not  only  in  our  con- 
gregation, or  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  but  in  the  whole  com- 
munity, evidences  of  which  are  continually  occurring  of  a 
most  gratifying  character.  A  few  days  ago  I  received  a  letter 
from  our  late  venerable  rector,  Rev.  Dr.  Empie,  in  which  he 
expresses  great  pleasure  at  your  being  elected  his  successor. 
Whilst  these  things  are  agreeable  in  themselves,  they  are  yet 
more  important  as  opening  the  way  for  extensive  usefulness  ; 
and  in  this  respect  be  well  assured  we  can  present  you  with  a 
wide  field  '  white  for  the  harvest.'  You  are  doubtless  aware  of 
the  state  of  things  here  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  it  is 
needless  for  me  to  refer  more  particularly  to  it.  I  will  only 
say,  however,  and  with  truth,  I  think,  that  your  coming  is 
looked  to  with  hope  and  expectation,  as  calculated  to  exert  a 
more  beneficial  influence  in  this  particular  than  that  of  any 
other  person  ;  and  this  is  an  important  consideration  in  de- 
termining so  important  a  question.  I  doubt  not  that  this  sub- 
ject will  receive  from  you  the  serious  and  prayerful  reflection 
which  it  demands,  and  I  think  you  are  entirely  right  in  con- 
sulting Bishop  Meade  before  making  your  decision.  I  have 
been  impelled  to  this  communication  from  a  desire  that 
before  deciding  you  should  be  fully  aware  of  the  great  need 
the  church  has  for  you  here  ;  of  the  great  amount  of  good 
you  may  he  instrumental  in  effecting  ;  of  the  cordial  reception 


JO  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

that  awaits  you  here,  and  the  hearty  co-operation  you  may 
safely  count  on  in  carrying  forward  the  great  work  of  the  Re- 
deemer. So  that  in  leaving  a  place  where  your  labors  have 
been  so  highly  blessed,  you  will  come  to  one  where  there  is 
even  more  to  do  than  in  the  one  you  leave.  I  must  now  con- 
clude, with  the  earnest  hope  that,  guided  by  that  Spirit  whose 
direction  you  seek,  you  may  see  the  path  of  duty  pointed 
plainly  to  this  place  as  the  scene  of  your  future  labors.  May 
I  hope  to  hear  from  you  soon  ? 

'  *  With  high  regard  and  esteem,  I  am,  dear  sir, 
"  Yours  most  obediently, 

"  Frederick  Bransford." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

RESIGNS  CHRIST   CHURCH,  NORFOLK. 

"There  is  work  for  all  in  the  Gospel  field, 

And,  if  the  mind  be  willing, 
The  place  for  labor  will  stand  revealed. 

And  the  fruitage  rich,  and  the  harvest  yield 
Will  surely  crown  the  tilling." — Marshall  B.  Smith. 

Aged  31. 

ON  the  5th  July,  1853,  ^^^-  Cummins  formally  re- 
signed Christ  Church,  Norfolk,  when  the  follow- 
ing communications  were  received  by  him  : 

"  Norfolk,  July  9,  1853. 
' '  J^ev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins : 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  Your  letter  of  5th  inst., 
addressed  to  us  as  trustees,  resigning  your  office  as  rector  of 
Christ  Church  in  this  city,  was,  according  to  the  requirements 
of  the  constitution  of  that  church,  laid  before  the  pew-holders 
assembled  in  general  meeting  last  evening. 

"  By  their  direction,  we  now  inclose  you  a  copy  of  the 
resolutions  unanimously  adopted  by  them  in  response  to 
your  letter. 

"  We  have  no  hesitation  in  assuring  you  that  the  resolu- 
tions truly  represent  the  sentiments  of  every  member  of  the 
congregation.  Each  year  of  your  ministration  among  them 
has  but  increased  your  influence  and  strengthened  their  con- 
fidence in  and  affection  for  you  ;  and  they  all  feel  that  in 
the  removal  of  their  faithful  and  acceptable  pastor  a  loss  has 
been  sustained  by  them  which  it  will  be  difficult  to  repair. 


72  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

The  love,  respect,  and  confidence  of  the  people  of  your  late 
charge  will  accompany  you  to  your  new  field  of  labor,  with 
their  prayers  to  the  Throne  of  Grace  for  a  continuance  of  the 
divine  blessing  on  your  ministrations,  as  well  as  on  yourself 
and  family  in  all  things  spiritual  and  temporal.  Wc  will 
only  add  for  ourselves,  that  we  sincerely  regret  the  severance 
of  our  official  relations,  and  the  cause  which  in  your  judg- 
ment made  it  necessary,  and  that  we  most  cordially  concur  in 
the  sentiments  contained  in  the  resolutions  of  the  pew-holders 
of  Christ  Church,  herewith  inclosed.  We  beg  leave  to  sub- 
scribe ourselves, 

' '  Your  sincere  and  attached  friends, 
"  Wm.  H.  Thompson, 

Walter  H.  Taylor, 

N.  W.  Parker, 


Trusti't 
of 


T        TT    Ti  1  Christ  Church. 

Tos.  H.  Robertson,  ^.t     r  ,,     r^    .. 

Tazewell  Taylor,    j  -^      ' 

The  following  are  the  resolutions  : 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  pew-holders  of  Christ  Church,  held 
in  the  lecture-room  on  Friday  evening,  July  8th,  1853,  the 
trustees  laid  before  the  meeting  a  communication  from  the 
Rev.  George  D.  Cummins  resigning  the  rectorship  of  Christ 
Church,  and  assigning  the  ill-health  of  his  family  as  the  reason 
which  had  led  him  reluctantly  to  this  step.  Whereupon  it 
was 

"  Resolved^  iinanimously ,  That  the  congregation  have  re- 
ceived this  intelligence,  and  now  accept  his  resignation,  with 
the  profoundest  regret.  They  bear  in  mind  the  happy  rela- 
tions which  have  existed  between  the  faithful  pastor  and  his 
affectionate  people  during  the  six  years  that  he  has,  both  by 
precept  and  example,  ministered  among  them  ;  and  whilst 
they  truly  lament  the  severance  of  their  connection,  they  no 
less  sincerely  sympathize  with  him  in  the  cause  which  led 
to  it. 


I^ESIGAS  CHRIST  CHURCH,  NORFOLK.  73 

'^'^  Resolved.,  That  the  trustees  be  requested  to  make 
known  to  Mr.  Cummins  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting,  and 
to  assure  him  that  whithersoever  he  may  go,  the  congregation 
will  delight  to  cherish  the  memory  of  his  social  and  Chris- 
tian virtues,  nor  will  they  cease  to  pray  that  a  career  of  use- 
fulness so  auspiciously  begun,  may  not  the  less  happily  termi- 
nate. 

"J.    MURDEN,  6'^'^r<?/a/7, " 

Copy  from  minutes. 

In  a  letter  dated  July  5th  he  writes  : 

"  Part  of  my  heavy  trial  is  over.  I  have  met  some  of  our 
friends,  and  the  result  is  different  from  my  expectations. 
They  have  proved  themselves  noble  friends  indeed  ;  not  a 
word  of  reproach  have  I  heard  from  a  single  person,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  the  gentlemen  whom  1  have  seen  act  the  part  of 
disinterested  advisers  and  friends.  I  have  never  felt  anything 
to  be  more  grateful  to  my  feelings  than  such  -conduct  on 
their  part  amidst  my  own  anxiety.  With  all  there  is  one 
sentiment  of  deep  sorrow,  but  an  appreciation  of  my  motives, 
and  a  confidence  in  my  integrity  of  purpose.     This  morning 

I  met  T ,  and  had   a  long  conversation  with  him.     He 

said  no  one  could  desire  to  retain  me  here  more  than  he  did, 
but  that  for  many  reasons  it  was  desirable  for  me  to  go  to 
Richmond.  He  thought  the  church  needed  me  there.  It  is  very 
hot  here  now,  and  the  dismal  swamp  is  on  fire  for  miles,  and 
we  are  enveloped,  at  times,  in  the  smoke  ;  even  the  cinders  fall 
around  us,  and  the  air  is  very  oppressive.  I  can  see  the  light 
at  night  from  our  windows.  Yesterday  morning  I  preached 
from  Psalm  84  :  10  to  a  large  congregation  which  filled  the 
church  despite  the  great  heat,  and  administered  the  commun- 
ion. Rev.  Mr.  S assisting  me.    It  was  the  last  communion 

season  I  should  be  with  them,  and  was  a  sad  time  to  pastor 

and  people.     In  the  afternoon  Mr.  W came  in  to  see  me. 

You  know  his  deep  attachment  for  us.      He  spoke  '  of  the 


74  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


deep  sorrow  among  all  my  people,'  and  added  they  never 
knew  before  how  strong  their  love  for  me  was,  but  that  he 
thought  I  was  right  in  going.  To-day  is  the  4th,  and  a 
Prussian  frigate  and  sloop  of  war  are  lying  out  in  the  harbor. 
The  bands  on  board  are  very  fine,  and  they  play  very  often. 

Rev.  Mr.  J came  in  to  see  me,  and  thinks  I  ought  to 

go,  although  he  is  very  sorry  to  have  me  leave.  You  know 
how  we  have  worked  together.  He  was  in  Richmond  when 
I  was  elected,  and  says  there  was  great  satisfaction  in  the  city 
at  the  result.  He  thinks  my  going  important  for  the  church. 
So  I  have  sent  my  letter  of  acceptance."  He  adds,  "  It  is  not 
a  little  remarkable  that  next  Sunday  closes  my  six  years  of 
labor  here.     I  entered  upon  my  duties  July  nth,  1847." 

The  following  letter  from  his  beloved  friend  Dr. 
Johns  was  received  some  months  before,  but  a  part 
of  it  may  be  inserted  here  : 

"Baltimore,  February  19,  1853. 
"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  have  not  yet  met  Col. 

P ,  but  will  call  as  soon  as  I  hear  that  they  have  opened 

doors  incur  city.  I  regret  your  loss  of  such  a  valuable  friend. 
Even  ojie  such  man  removing  creates  a  void  in  the  largest  con- 
gregation. But  I  trust  Providence  will  send  you  another  to  fill 
the   vacancy.     Old    Christ  Church    is   pretty   well    packed. 

B and  myself  have  our  hands  full,  I  assure  you.    I  never 

worked  so  hard  in  my  life  as  since  returning  from  England 
last  September.  There  has  been  much  sickness  and  con- 
siderable mortality.  You  know  what  the  funeral  service  is 
here.  I  sometimes  think  we  ought  to  have  chaplains  for  our 
cemeteries,  as  in  England.  You  must  remember  me  very 
kindly  to  Mrs.  Cummins.  I  see  her  brother  now  and  then. 
Allow  me  most  cordially  to  respond  to  your  friendly  allusion 
to  our  former  intercourse.  It  has  never  been  forgotten  by 
me,  and  will  always  cause  me  to  feel  a  brother's  interest  in 
everything  relating  to  you   and  yours.     I  wish  I  could  see 


RESIGNS  CHRIST  CHURCH,  NORFOLK.  75 


more  of  you,  and  must  try  and  have  that  pleasure.  Still, 
having  been  absent  five  months  last  summer  and  autumn,  I 
feel  obliged  to  keep  in  harness  constantly  for  a  season.  We 
have  started  our  new  enterprise  for  tht  up-town  section  of 
the  congregation,  and  hope  to  see  it  through  in  about  a 
twelvemonth. 

"  Truly  and  affectionately, 

"  Henry  V.  D.  Johns. 
"  PS.— Old  England  is  z.  glorious  country,  and  our  Evan- 
gelical brethren  there  are  '  true  blue  '  to  the  bone." 

Norfolk  is  one  of  our  most  interesting  naval  posts. 
In  the   Congregation  of  Christ  Church  were  officers 
of  all  ranks,  from  commodores— there  were  then  no 
admirals— to    midshipmen.      These  with  their    fam- 
ilies  formed   a  large   circle  of  refined  and  cultured 
people.       Among    them  were  many  who   had   been 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  Jesus  by  the  preaching  of 
Mr.  Cummins.     Over  them  he  had  great  influence, 
and    some  of    them  were    his  dearest    friends.      On 
one  occasion,   preaching  at  night  to  young  men,  as 
was    his   frequent    custom,  on    "  Henry    Martyn,    a 
Model   for   Young    Men,"    the   church  was   densely 
crowded,  the  galleries  entirely  filled  with  men.     At 
the  close  of  a  most  thrilling  appeal  to  them  to  give 
themselves  to  God,  a  young  officer  arose  in  one  of 
the  galleries,  and,   forgetting  where  he  was,  he  said 
in  clearest  tones  that  arrested  the  attention  of  all: 
"  Here   am  I— God  help  me  !"     On  another  occasion 
Mr.   Cummins  was  writing  on  a  particular  subject, 
and  his  manner  of  treating  it  was  not  satisfactory  to 
himself.     He  felt  somewhat  discouraged  at  his  effort, 
and    concluded  not  to  preach  the  sermon,   but  was 
advised  to  do  so  with    the  remark,  that  sometimes 


76  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


words  may  reach  the  heart  when  least  expected. 
The  sermon  was  deUvered  with  his  usual  vigor  and 
earnestness.  At  the  close  of  the  service  a  young 
midshipman  walked  up  the  aisle,  took  the  hand  oi 
the  pastor,  and  said  with  intense  feeling  :  "  I  thank 
you  most  deeply  for  that  sermon.  It  has  been  the 
means  of  deciding  me  to-day  to  take  my  stand  on  the 
Lord's  side."  Mr.  Cummins,  on  returning  home, 
gave  thanks  to  God  in  special  prayer  that  he  had 
been  led,  as  he  beheved,  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  preach 
that  sermon,  and  had  the  incident  written  upon  the 
blank  leaf  of  his  sermon.  The  young  officer  united 
himself  at  once  with  the  church,  and  then  left  his 
country  to  join  the  squadron  to  which  he  had  been 
ordered,  and  they  never  met  again. 

Mr.  Cummins  preached  his  last  sermon  in  Norfolk 
from  the  text  St.  John  4  :  36,  37.  Amidst  all  his  cares 
and  anxieties  in  leaving  his  loved  friends  and  home,  he 
had  to  prepare  the  journal  of  the  Diocesan  convention 
for  publication.  A  sale  of  their  furniture  was  held 
July  13th,  and  on  the  following  Monday,  i8th,  he  left 
Norfolk  for  the  home  of  Mrs.  C 's  father,  in  North- 
ern Virginia,  thankful  for  the  rest  of  the  quiet  coun- 
try life  after  the  excitement  and  sorrow  incident  to  the 
breaking  up  of  his  home  and  taking  leave  of  so  many 
friends  who  felt  it  to  be  a  personal  trial  to  have  him 
go. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

WORK   IN   RICHMOND. 

*  He  was  a  shepherd,  and  no  mercenary, 
And  though  he  holy  was,  and  virtuous, 
He  was  to  sinful  men  full  piteous  ; 
His  words  were  strong,  but  not  with  anger  fraught ; 
A  love  benignant  he  discreetly  taught  ; 
To  draw  mankind  to  heaven  by  gentleness 
And  good  example  was  his  business. 
****** 

But  Jesus'  love,  which  owns  no  pride  or  pelf, 

He  taught — but  first  he  followed  it  himself." — ChAUCER.I 

Aged  31. 

THE  summer  of  1853  was  passed  in  Jefferson 
County,  West  Virginia,  with  the  exception  of  a 
most  pleasant  visit  to  Bath,  Morgan  County,  Va., 
where  Mr.  Cummins,  with  his  family  and  his  wife's 
parents,  spent  a  fortnight.  September  ist  he  left  for 
Richmond,  accompanied  by  his  family,  and  at  once 
entered  on  his  duties  at  St.  James's  Church.  While 
waiting  for  their  own  house  to  be  prepared  for  them, 
they  were  received  into  the  liomes  of  dear  friends 
there. 

Before  leaving  Northern  Virginia  for  Richmond 
Mr.  Cummins  received  the  following  letter  from  Dr. 
May,  then  editor  of  TJie  Church  Revieiv  and  profes- 
sor in  the  Theological  Seminary  near  Alexandria,  Va. : 


78  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


"  Philadelphia,  August  30,  1853. 
"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  write  hastily  to  say 
that  Bishop  Meade,  whom  I  saw  here  last  night,  gratified  me  by 
the  information  that  you  have  prepared  a  treatise  on  Justifica- 
tion which  would  be  suitable  for  the  Review,  and  that  you 
might  be  persuaded  to  contribute  it  for  that  work.  I  lose  no 
time  in  making  the  request  that  you  will  allow  it  to  be  used 
for  an  article  in  our  Quarterly.  Be  pleased  to  let  me  have  it 
as  soon  as  you  can,  not  later  thaxi  November  ist.  I  am  en- 
couraged to  hope  you  may  be  willing  to  be  a  regular  contrib- 
utor. Do  give  me  assurance  to  that  effect.  I  was  much  dis- 
appointed in  not  seeing  you  while  we  were  so  near  each 
other.  Be  pleas  ed  to  give  me  the  assurance  I  have  requested. 
I  hope  you  will  turn  your  mind  to  the  preparation  of  a  me- 
moir of  Mrs.  Hening.  You  will  be  looked  to  for  such  a  work. 
"  Affectionately  your  brother, 

"  James  May." 

The  autumn  and  winter  of  1853-4  were  passed  by 
Mr.  Cummins  in  a  faithful  fulfilment  of  the  duties  of 
his  new  charge.  The  same  religious  awakening 
which  had  so  cheered  the  heart  of  the  young  clergy- 
man while  in  Norfolk  manifested  itself  in  the  gay 
capital  of  the  State.  Numbers  were  through  his 
instrumentality  brought  to  confess  Christ  before  men. 
His  influence  was  widespread,  and  the  church  was 
incapable  of  holding  the  vast  throngs  that  crowded 
to  hear  him  preach.  Class  after  class  was  presented 
to  the  bishop  for  confirmation,  and  so  far  as  his 
work  for  the  Lord  went  he  had  cause  for  heartfelt 
thanksgiving.  But  his  master  meant  to  try  his  ser- 
vant in  other  ways.  The  health  of  his  wife  grew 
steadily  worse,  and  all  that  autumn  and  winter  and 
the  following  spring  and  summer   she    was   a   help- 


WORK'  J.V  KICHMOND.  79 


less  invalid,  confined  entirely  to  her  bed,  and  wholly 
unable  to  aid  her  husband  in  his  work.  But 
though  this  dark  cloud  hung  over  his  otherwise 
happy  home,  he  was  ever  the  bright,  loving,  helpful 
friend  and  pastor, 

"  With  a  heart  at  leisure  from  itself, 
To  soothe  and  symoathize." 

As  the  shadow  darkened  over  his  own  home,  he 
only  lived  closer  to  Jesus  and  gave  out  in  larger 
measure  the  full,  deep  treasures  of  love  and  sym- 
pathy garnered  up  in  his  own  heart.  His  congregation 
increased  until  there  were  no  longer  seats  for  more  ; 
and  extra  benches  and  chairs  were  provided  to  be 
placed  in  the  aisles  every  Sunday. 

A  confirmation  was  held  in  the  winter,  and  again 
in  the  spring.  May  7th,  1854.  In  these  classes,  both 
very  large,  there  were  a  larger  number  of  men  than 
women.  In  x\pril  his  little  daughter  was  very  ill,  and 
soon  after  his  boy  was  seized  with  the  same  disease. 
Their  father  took  them  to  their  grandfather's  home, 
where  they  were  tenderly  nursed  by  their  grand- 
parents and  faithful  nurse.  In  June  the  cholera  ap- 
peared in  Richmond,  but  mercifully  it  did  not  be- 
come the  fearful  epidemic  through  which  Mr.  Cum- 
,  mins  had  had  to  pass  in  Norfolk.  In  July  he  took 
his  family  to  Cape  May,  where  for  six  weeks  they 
enjoyed  the  sea  breezes  and  grew  stronger  every  day. 
September  ist  found  them  in  Philadelphia,  where  Mrs. 
Cummins  passed  several  weeks  under  medical  care. 
God  so  blessed  the  means  used  for  her  relief  that 
she  was  able  to  return  to  Richmond  in  October  with 
her  husband   and  there  to  take  up  the  duties  which 


8o  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

she  had  so  long  been  compelled  to  lay  aside.  For 
this  great  blessing  Mr.  Cummins  gave  heartfelt 
thanks,  and  joy  and  gladness  once  more  pervaded 
his  home. 

The  deep  interest  he  felt  in  Missions  brought  him 
in  intimate  association  with  the  brethren  who  de- 
voted their  lives  to  the  work.  Bishop  Payne  was  a 
dear  and  valued  friend  and  correspondent.  About 
this  time  he  received  a  long  and  interesting  letter 
from  the  bishop,  written  on  his  reaching  West 
Africa  after  spending  a  year  in  this  country.  He 
gives  a  description  of  his  long  voyage,  of  their  arrival 
at  Cape  Palmas,  of  the  health  of  the  missionary  band 
that  went  out  with  him,  and  expresses  deep  grati- 
tude for  all  the  kindness  and  generous  aid  given  him 
by  the  dear  people  of  Norfolk.  We  quote  from  the 
letter,  which  did  not  reach  Mr.  Cummins  until  after 
he  settled  in  Richmond,  as  it  speaks  for  one  who 
was  God's  faithful  servant,  and  who  has  "  rested 
from  his  labors"  for  several  years  : 

"Off  Bassa  Cove,  Liberia,  June  22,  1852. 
"  My  spirit  lingers  around  Norfolk,  and  to  whom  may  I 
more  properly  speak  of  its  recollections,  its  feelings,  its  hopes, 
than  the  honored  servant  of  God  who  originates,  guides,  and 
lives  by  the  happy  influences  which  bless  that  favored  place  ? 
The  missionary  amongst  the  heathen,  who  has  left  all  for 
Christ's  sake,  has  his  comforts,  but  the  sweet  sympathies  and 
active  co-operation  of  a  Christian  flock,  loving  him.  joying 
in  his  joys,  weeping  in  his  sorrows,  laboring  together  with 
him  in  the  Gospel — this  is  the  pecuUar  privilege  of  the  pastor 
in  circumstances  like  yours,  where  Christianity  has  found 
a  well-ordered,  peaceful  home.     Happy  are  the  people  and 


WORK  I.V  RICHMOND.  8 1 

the  pastor  that  are  in  such  a  case  ;   '  yea,  happy  are  the  peo- 
ple whose  God  is  the  Lord.' 

"  I  have  said  yours  and  the  happiness  of  pastors  similarly 
situated  is  peculiar,  and  yet  you  do  not  enjoy  it  exclusively. 
How  ungrateful  should  I  be  if  I  did  not  feel  every  day  and 
acknowledge  that  /  am  happier  and  more  joyful,  and  stronger 
in  the  Lord,  for  all  the  kind  sympathy  and  heartfelt  prayers 
and  "generous  efforts  <^f  the  many  godly  ministers  and  con- 
gregations with  whom  I  have  mingled  during  the  past  year  ! 
And  that  which  sustains  and  comforts  me,  does  and  will  sus- 
tain and  comfort  those  associated  with  me,  and  others  else- 
where engaged  in  the  same  blessed  work.  We  live  because 
ye  live  in  the  Lord.  And  if,  as  Bickersteth  said  so  beautifully 
in  his  dying  moments,  '  No  prayer  is  lost  :  they  ever  live, 
they  are,  as  it  were,  indented  around  the  throne  of  God,  and 
when  God  looks  around  he  sees  the  prayers  of  his  people 
covered  with  the  sweet  incense  of  the  Saviour's  intercession, ' — 
what  treasures  are  now,  and  will  ever  be,  pouring  in  upon  our 
African  mission  through  the  lively  interest  and  constant  in- 
tercessions of  our  many  dear  Norfolk  friends  ?  And  if  prayers 
may  avail  for  them — and  avail  they  will — God  shall  return, 
as  he  has  been  wont  to  do,  sevenfold,  into  their  own  bosom, 
for  all  they  desire  and  do  for  others." 

He  then  writes  of  his  plans  for  extending  the  mis- 
sion, and  of  Mr.  Hening-,  suggesting  some  way  by 
which  that  devoted  missionary  might  still  work  for 
the  cause  in  this  country,  and  concludes  thus  : 

"  I  forgot  to  say  that  all  our  band  are  well  and  happy.  Re- 
member me  very  kindly  to  Mrs.  Cummins  and  Brother  Jackson 
and  all  my  acquaintances  and  friends  beloved  in  Norfolk  ; 
and  believe  me,  reverend  and  dear  brother, 

"  Very  truly  your  friend  and  brother  in  Christ, 

"  John  Payne." 


82  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

While  in  Norfolk  Mr.  Cummins  was  called  upon  to 
give  up  one  of  his  most  efficient  helpers  and  dearest 
friends  for  the  work  of  this  mission.  In  1853  Mrs.  Hen- 
ing-,  another  dear  missionary,  was  tenderly  and  loving- 
ly cared  for  by  the  congregation  of  Christ  Church  dur- 
ing her  last  illness.  The  ministrations  of  Mr.  Cum- 
mins gave  her  great  comfort  during  these  last  days 
on  earth.  Her  blind  husband  and  sweet  babe  re- 
ceived the  same  loving  attention.  While  Mr.  Cum- 
mins was  in  Richmond,  another  lovely  young  Chris- 
tian woman  left  home  and  friends  and  went  out  from 
St.  James's  Church  to  tell  the  Africans  of  "  Jesus  and 
his  love."  Mrs.  Scott  and  Mrs.  Hoffman  sleep  side 
by  side  in  the  little  cemetery  at  Cape  Palmas,  and 
Mrs.  Hening  in  that  near  Norfolk.  Mr.  Cummins 
endeavored  to  keep  alive  an  earnest  missionary  spirit 
in  his  congregations,  and  these  dear  ones  "  gone 
before"  often  spoke  of  the  refreshing  and  strength- 
ening influences  felt  in  visiting  Richmond  and  Nor- 
folk. 

In  the  summer  of  1853  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoff- 
man and  their  little  daughter  visited  Richmond, 
where  Mr.  Hoffman  presented  the  claims  of  the 
mission  to  the  churches  in  that  city,  while  Mrs. 
Hoffman  gladdened  the  hearts  of  her  friends  by  her 
sweet  presence. 

In  April,  1854,  Mr.  Cummins  was  invited  by  the 
"  Missionary  Society  of  the  Theological  Seminary," 
Fairfax  County,  Va.,  to  preach  the  annual  sermon  be- 
fore the  society.  Owing  to  the  pressure  of  parochial 
work,  and  illness  in  his  family,  he  was  unable  to  ac- 
cept this  invitation.  He  was  also  requested  to  pre- 
pare   a   memoir   of    Mrs.    Hening,  but    this    he    was 


WORK  IN  RICHMOND.  83 


obliged  to  decline  for  the  same  reasons.  The  editor 
of  the  Church  Quarterly  wrote  to  him  at  this  time, 
urging  him  to  send  other  contributions  to  the  period- 
ical. To  this  request  he  responded  by  sending  sev- 
eral articles,  one  of  which  was  the  "  Romish  and 
Protestant  Doctrines  of  Justification  Contrasted."  A 
large  Bible-class  in  a  select  Episcopal  school  in 
Richmond,  formed  of  young  ladies,  occupied  a  por- 
tion of  the  time  of  the  pastor  during  the  year.  On 
Chistmas-day  a  handsome  piece  of  silver  was  pre- 
sented to  him  by  the  pupils,  accompanied  by  a  most 
kind  and  appreciative  note  from  the  principal,  who 
was  a  communicant  of  St.  James's  Church.  In  the 
early  part  of  1854  he  was  invited  by  the  Committee 
of  Arrangements  of  the  American  Bible  Society, 
of  which  Dr.  S.  H.  Tyng,  Sr. ,  was  chairman,  to  make 
one  of  the  addresses  at  its  thirty-eighth  anniversary, 
held  in  New  York  City  on  the  nth  May.  He  was 
prevented  from  accepting  this  invitation  also,  for  the 
reasons  before  mentioned.  In  the  autumn  of  1854 
lie  visited  Norlolk  with  his  family,  and  passed  some 
time  amongst  his  dear  friends.  The  Rev.  Charles 
Minnigerode,  D.D.,  was  his  successor  as  rector  of 
Christ  Church.  Mr.  Cummins  left  his  family  with 
their  kind  friends,  and  returned  to  his  duties  in  Rich- 
mond. 

We  quote  from  a  letter  written  at  this  time  : 

"  Richmond,  October  29,  1854. 
'■  It  is  a  new  and  strange  life  to  me  to  be  here  alone  in 
the  quiet  house,  and  to  listen  in  vain  for  your  footstep  and 
the  voices  of  our  precious  children.  If  I  am  disposed  to  re- 
gret my  loneliness,  the  feeling  is  checked  by  the  thought  that 
by  remaining  in  Norfolk,  you  may  be  of  service  to  our  dearlv 


84  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

loved  friends  now  passing  under  the  cloud  of  sorrow,  and 
may  contribute  something  to  the  spiritual  comfort  of  the 
dear  friend  to  whom  wearisome  days  and  nights  of  sickness 
are  appointed.  If  so,  it  would  be  sinful  to  cherish  lonely  feel- 
ings, for  I  could  covet  for  you  no  richer  blessing  than  to  be 
able  to  lighten  one  load  of  human  sorrow  or  bear  the  burden 
of  one  '  weak-hearted  '  one.  It  is  a  truth  I  feel  more  and  more 
deeply  as  life  advances,  that  it  is  given  to  us  to  know  no 
happiness  like  that  of  doing  good  ;  and  for  this  I  believe 
we  are  not  to  lightly  estimate  or  think  meanly  of  our  capacity 
or  ability,  but  just  to  do  what  is  in  our  power,  or  what  the 
providence  of  God  brings  to  our  hands.  We  may  feel  weak, 
and  may  be  tempted  to  think  it  is  not  in  our  power  to  do  any- 
thing ;  but  God  works  by  our  feeble  instrumentality,  and 
thus  more  to  his  own  glory.  I  am  so  forcibly  reminded,  as 
I  sit  in  this  room,  of  your  long  and  weary  illness,  and  by  it 
of  the  loving-kindness  of  God  to  us  in  raising  you  up  again. 
Let  the  remembrance  of  this  great  mercy  never  be  absent 
from  us,  and  let  our  daily  prayer  be  for  its  sanctification  to 
our  good.  I  reached  home  at  5.30  and  soon  had  a  fire  made, 
and  the  room  looked  (luite  bright  and  cheerful.  The  servants 
welcomed  me  right  gladly.      I  breakfasted  Sunday  with  Mr. 

and  Mrs.  B ,  and  also  dined  with  them.     Preached  in  the 

morning  from  Esther  5  :  13." 

In  another  letter,  dated  October  30tn,  he  writes  : 

"I  went  to  St.  James's.  The  crowd  in  the  church  was 
more  dense  than  I  have  ever  seen  it,  partly,  I  suppose,  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  number  of  visitors  in  town.  Many  stood 
in  the  aisles  during  the  whole  service,  and  a  great  many  left, 
finding  it  impossible  to  obtain  seats.  I  preached  from  the 
words,  '  The  Son  of  man  hath  power  to  forgive  sins.'  I 
have  been  very  much  impressed  since  my  return  with  the  vast 
importance  of  the  field  to  which  I  have  been  called,  and  of  the 


JV0R7v   IN  RICHMOND.  85 

great  results  that  may  follow  my  ministry.  Certainly  I  have 
never  seen  more  remarkable  external  manifestations,  and  it 
fills  me  with  a  deep  sense  of  the  great  responsibility  placed 
upon  me.  Never  did  any  one  need  a  more  abundant  supply 
of  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  '  fufil  the  ministry  '  and  '  rightly  di- 
vided the  word  of  truth, '  than  one  in  my  present  position. 

Mr.  B seems  to  feel  this  most  deeply.   Pray  for  me,  that 

my  strength  may  be  alone  in  God. ' 

In  a  letter  of  October  31st,  1854,  he  says  : 

"  The  city  is  overflowing  with  people,  some  sleeping  in 
tobacco-houses.  The  streets  are  as  gay  as  in  New  York, 
The  State  Fair  opens  to-day.  You  are  remembered  always, 
and  at  no  hour  so  pleasantly  as  at  the  hour  of  prayer.  It  is 
a  comfort  then  to  bear  you  and  our  darlings  on  my  heart  to 
our    Father,  and  invoke  fervently   his    blessings  upon    you. 

Rev.  Mr.  C occupies  our  guest-room.     It  is  difficult  to 

make  one's  way  along  the  streets  ;  all  is  excitement  and 
intense  activity.  I  spent  the  morning  in  my  study  preparing 
my  lecture.  I  have  been  visiting  a  great  deal  among  the  con- 
gregation lately.     I  long  to  hear  of  the  welfare  of  our  little 

ones  ;    of     sweet    L 's     troubles   with    her    tooth,    and 

dear  Georgie's  inquiries  about  his  "  dear  papa,"  about 
whose  coming  he  had  such  a  hearty  cry  on  Saturday.  Tell 
them  papa  will  soon  be  back.  Pray  for  me.  May  God  ever 
bless  you,  and  make  you  more  and  more  his  own  child,  is 
my  fervent  prayer.  The  box  for  Africa  will  soon  be  ready, 
and  will  go  in  a  vessel  which  sails  from  Savannah  Decem- 
ber ist." 

In  another  letter,  of  November  2d,  he  says  : 

"  I  have  just  been  to  the  Monumental  Church,  where  the 
joint  thanksgiving  service  was  held.  I  assisted  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge.  After  church  I  drove  out  to  the  Fair  grounds.  It 
is  indeed  a  wonderful  sight,  and  I  can  give  you  no  idea  of 


86  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

its  extent  and  variety.  It  is  the  finest  exhibition  of  the  kind 
I  have  ever  seen,  and  a  vast  advance  on  last  year.  But  the 
greatest  sight  is  the  crowd  ;  it  can  only  be  numbered  by  thou- 
sands. I  have  met  many  friends  from  different  parts  of  the 
State,  among  them  Col.  S and  a  Mr.  L from  Wash- 
ington, who  says  he  is  coming  to  see  me." 

It  was  at  this  time  that,  amidst  the  evident  bless- 
ing of  the  Lord  upon  his  labors,  and  with  every  as- 
surance of  the  love  and  esteem  of  his  people,  Mr. 
Cummins  was  again,  and  so  soon,  called  to  decide  a 
question  of  duty. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CALL  TO   WASHINGTON. 

"Just  as  God  leads  I  onward  go, 
Oft  amid  thorns  and  briers  keen  ; 
God  does  not  yet  his  guidance  show, 

But  in  the  end  it  shall  be  seen 
How  by  a  loving  Father's  will 
Faithful  and  true  he  leads  me  still. 
Thus  anchored,  faith  is  resting." 

From  the  German. 
Aged  32. 

ON  November  13th,  1854,  the  vestry  of  Trinity 
Church,  Washington,  D.  C,  met  and  decided 
unanimously  to  tender  Mr.  Cummins  a  call  to  become 
their  rector.  He  had  no  wish  to  leave  Richmond,  and 
was  much  surprised  and  even  grieved  at  receiving 
this  call.  His  first  decision  was  to  decline  it,  as  he 
felt  he  had  too  lately  entered  upon  the  charge  of  St. 
James's  Church,  and  that  he  could  not  see  it  to  be  his 
duty  to  leave  his  present  parish.  But  he  concluded 
to  lay  the  matter  before  his  best  friends,  in  whose 
judgment  he  had  great  confidence,  hoping  that  they 
might  aid  him  to  see  what  was  wisest.  In  the  mean 
time  he  made  it  a  subject  of  constant  prayer.  One 
of  the  vestry  of  Trinity  Church  had  been  sent  to 
Richmond  to  confer  with  Mr.  Cummins,  and  to  pre- 
sent the  claims  of  the  church  in  Washington.  Let- 
ters .were  at  once  addresed  to  Bishops  Meade  and 
Johns   of  Virginia,   to  Dr.  H.  V.  D.  Johns   of  Balti- 


GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


more,  and  to  several  other  valued  friends.  The  call 
to  Washington  was  a  iLuaniinous  one  on  the  part  of 
the  vestry,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  con- 
vey to  Mr.  Cummins  the  resolutions  that  had 
been  passed,  and  to  request  his  acceptance  of  the 
same.  The  official  call  was  accompanied  by  a  letter 
witten  by  one  of  the  gentlemen  before  mentioned, 
setting  forth  at  length  the  reasons  which  in  his  opin- 
ion should  influence  Mr.  Cummins  in  his  decision. 
We  quote  from  this  letter  : 

"  The  vestry  believe  that  they  are  not  alone  in  the  opin- 
ion that  this  church  is  one  of  more  than  common  importance, 
from  the  fact  that  its  worshippers  are  here  assembled  from 
remote  sections  of  the  country,  and,  further,  that  during  a 
large  portion  of  the  year  it  embraces  numbers  who  come  up 
here  as  the  select  from  among  the  people — the  chosen  law- 
makers and  many  of  the  leading  intellects  of  the  nation. 
Consequently  the  rector  of  the  church  we  represent  ad- 
dresses himself  to  a  large  and  varying  congregation,  but  one 
whose  influence  is  not  lightly  to  be  estimated.  The  effect  of 
his  public  ministrations  may,  therefore,  truly  and  justly  be 
said  to  be  limited  only  by  the  boundaries  of  our  broad  con- 
federacy— nay,  even  to  overspread  it,  as  the  representatives 
of  foreign  courts  are  not  un  frequently  found  among  his 
hearers.  With  prayerful  interest  they  have  surveyed  the  wide 
field  of  active  labors  in  the  ministry,  calmly  and  deliberately 
weighed,  to  the  best  of  their  ability,  the  peculiar  fitness  of 
those  whose  names  have  been  presented  to  them  for  the 
vacant  rectorship,  and  have  come  to  the  unanimous  decision 
which  the  transcript  from  their  records,  already  furnished, 
will  have  made  known  to  you.  And  I  may  be  permitted 
to  add  that  no  clergyman  in  our  church  ever  received  a  more 
cordially  sincere  invitation  than  that  now  extended  to  your- 
self by  the  vestry  of  Trinity  Church  in  this  city.     It  is  hardly 


CALL   TO   WASHINGTON.  89 

necessary  to  set  forth  to  your  mind,  by  way  of  influencing 
your  decision  in  this  matter,  the  peculiar  attractions  which 
attach  to  Washington  and  make  it  a  place  for  a  pleasant  resi- 
dence ;  but  what  the  vestry  mainly  rely  upon,  as  worthy  of 
paramount  consideration,  is  the  tvide  and  important  field  of 
labor  here  open  to  you  for  the  employment  of  your  talents  and 
services.  In  the  event  of  your  acceptance  of  the  invitation, 
the  time  for  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the  rectorship  will 
be  left  subject  to  your  own  decision.  In  all  matters  touching 
your  personal  convenience,  I  am  instructed  by  the  vestry  to 
say  that  your  preferences  and  wishes  will  be  most  cheerfully 
considered.  In  the  name,  and  in  behalf  of  the  wardens  and 
vestry  of  Trinity  Church,  Washington,  I  have  the  honor  to 
be,  with  great  respect, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  James  Morss. 
"Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cu?n?nins,  Richmond,   Va." 

Before  Mr.  Cummins's  letter  to  Dr.  Johns  reached 
its  destination  the  following  note  was  received  : 

"Baltimore,  November  16,  1854. 
"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  have  just  heard  of 
your  election  to  th^  rectorship  of  Trinity  Church,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  feeling  a  deep  interest  in  the  prosperity  of 
this  important  congregation,  and  its  having  been  in  its  in- 
fancy my  first  charge,  I  cannot  refrain  from  writing  you  to 
beg  you  to  give  this  call  your  most  favorable  consideration. 
The  congregation  is  large  and  united,  and  the  opportunities 
of  usefulness  are  of  such  a  character  as  few  clergymen  pos- 
sess. May  the  Lord  guide  you,  my  dear  brother,  to  a  sound 
conclusion  and,  if  it  be  his  ivill,  send  you  to  Washington. 
* '  Ever  truly  and  affectionately, 

''Henry  V.  D.  Johns." 

The  Rev.  William  M.  Jackson — rector  of  St.  Paul's 


90  GEORGE  DA  VID   CUMMINS. 

Church,  Norfolk,  but  now  with  Jesus — the  dearly 
valued  friend  of  Mr.  Cummins,  and  the  godfather 
of  his  boy,  wrote  as  follows  : 

"Norfolk,  November  21,  1854. 
"  My  Dear  Friend  and  Brother  :  I  almost  fear  my 
feelings  are  too  strong  to  allow  me  to  give  an  unbiassed 
opinion  in  regard  to  the  question  of  your  removal  to  Wash- 
ington. To  myself  personally  it  would  be  a  serious  loss,  de- 
priving me  of  many  pleasant  hours  of  friendly  and  fraternal 
intercourse.  And,  moreover,  I  should  regard  your  leaving 
Richmond  as  a  serious  loss,  not  only  to  that  city,  but  to 
our  diocese  ;  and  I  feel  confident  that  you  have  the  earnest 
wishes  of  both  our  bishops  for  your  continuance  in  Virginia. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  when  I  divest  myself  of  all  feeling 
and  forget  myself,  and  when  I  consider  that  the  field  of  labor 
is  wider  in  Washington  than  in  Richmond,  that  it  is  a  more 
important  position,  with  a  heavier  responsibility,  enabling  you 
to  exert  a  more  widespread  influence  ;  and,  lastly,  that  it  is 
a  more  difficult  post  to  supply  than  that  which  you  now  have 
— when  I  take  all  these  facts  into  consideration  I  confess 
that  the  finger  of  duty  seems  to  point  to  Washington,  and 
compel  you  to  accept.  God  grant  you,  dear  brother.  His 
wise  counsel  and  direction  in  deciding  this  important  ques- 
tion. I  sympathize  with  you  in  the  difficulty  and  perplexity 
you  must  feel  in  deciding  it.  Between  the  crowded  congre- 
gations of  St.  James',  and  the  large,  intellectual,  and  influen- 
tial congregation  of  Trinity,  it  is  no  easy  matter  for  the  mind 
to  come  to  a  decision.  I  am  sure  you  will  have  the  best  of 
all  wisdom  for  your  guidance.     My  very  affectionate  regards 

to  Mrs.  C . 

"  I  am,  dear  brother,  very  affectionately  yours, 

"William  M.  Jackson." 

The   two  bishops  of  Virginia  were  unwilling  to 
have  Mr.    Cummins    leave    Richmond,  believing  he 


CALL    TO    WASHINGTON.  9 1 

was  doing  great  good  in  that  beautiful  and  impor- 
tant city  ;  while  other  dear  friends  and  counsellors 
urged  his  acceptance  of  the  call  to  Trinity.  Among 
the  latter  were  the  father  and  elder  brother  of  Mrs. 

C ,  and  two  bishops  of   the  Protestant  Episcopal 

Church.  After  most  earnest  consideration  and  con- 
stant prayer  tcD  God  for  guidance,  Mr.  Cummins 
decided  to  accept  the  call  to  Washington,  and  ac- 
cordingly sent  the  vestry  of  St.  James'  Church,  Rich- 
mond, his  resignation  of  the  rectorship. 

The  following  is  the  reply  : 

"  Richmond,  December  8,  1854. 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  vestry  of  St.  James'  Church,  in  this 
city,  held  this  day,  the  following  resolutions  were  adopted  : 

"  I.  That  Avhile  the  Vestry  feel  themselves  constrained  by 
the  considerations  presented  in  the  letter  of  the  Rev.  George 
D.  Cummins  to  accept  his  resignation  of  the  rectorship  of 
St.  James'  Church,  they  cannot  but  express  their  deep  regret 
that  his  conviction  of  duty  should  require  him  to  sever  a 
relation  so  pleasant  to  themselves  personally  and  to  the  con- 
gregation under  his  charge,  and  which  gave  promise  of  so 
much  usefulness,  not  only  to  the  Church  itself,  but  to  the 
community  at  large.  Nor  can  they  withhold  the  expression 
of  their  high  appreciation  of  the  zeirt,  earnestness,  fidelity, 
and  ability  with  which  he  has  discharged  the  duties  of  his 
office. 

"2.  That  the  Secretary  communicate  to  Mr. Cummins  the 
foregoing  resolutions,  and  express  to  him  the  warm  regard 
which  the  vestry  entertain  for  him  personally,  and  tender  him 
their  best  wishes  for  his  happiness,  and  his  more  extended 
usefulness  in  the  field  of  labor  to  which  he  has  been  called. 

"John  O.  Steger,  Secretary."" 

Mr.  Steger  inclosed  the  above  resolutions  in  the 
following  letter  : 


92  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

"  Richmond,  December  ii,  1854. 
''Rev.  George  D.  Cummiiis  : 

"  Dear  Sir  :  By  the  direction  of  the  vestry  of  St.  James' 
Church,  I  now  inclose  you  a  copy  of  the  resolutions  passed 
by  that  body  on  the  acceptance  of  your  resignation  of  the 
rectorship  of  that  church.  They  will  convey  to  you  but  a 
faint  idea  of  the  deep  pain  and  anxiety  with  which  your 
resignation  has  been  received  ;  but  they  will  furnish  you  with 
an  abundant  assurance  of  the  entire  confidence  of  the  vestry — 
in  common  with  every  right-minded  and  true-hearted  mem- 
ber of  your  congregation — in  the  honest  sincerity  of  that  con- 
viction of  duty  which  forces  this  painful  separation  upon  you. 

"  With  the  earnest  prayer  that  God  will  cause  this  separa- 
tion to  contribute  to  the  good  of  His  people  and  the  in- 
creased glory  of  His  name, 

"  I  am,  my  dear  sir,  with  the  highest  regard  and  esteem, 
' '  Very  truly  your  friend, 

"  John  O.  Steger." 

Though  Mr.  Cummins  had  been  but  a  short  time 
rector  of  St.  James',  he  had  become  greatly  attached 
to  his  congregation,  and  parted  from  each  one  with 
a  sad  heart.  The  brief  period  of  his  labors  among 
them,  while  it  had  been  saddened  by  the  continued 
illness  of  his  wife,  kad  been  gladdened  as  well  by  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  his  labors. 


CHAPTER  XL 

LIFE   IN   WASHINGTON. 

"  I  ask  no  heaven  till  earth  be  thine, 
Nor  glory-crown  while  work  of  mine 
Remaineth  here.     When  earth  shall  shine 
Amongst  the  stars,     .     .     . 
Her  sins  wiped  out,  her  captives  free, 
For  crown — new  work  give  Thou  to  me  ; 
Lord,  here  am  I." 

Aged  33. 
(^N  the  first  Sunday  in  January,  1855,  Mr.  Cum- 
mins  entered  upon  his  duties  as  rector  of  Trin- 
ity Church,  Washington.  Two  Sunday  schools  were 
attached  to  the  church,  and  not  long  after  he  assumed 
the  charge  of  the  parish  a  mission  chapel  was  built, 
where  services  and  a  Sunday-school  were  held  for 
the  benefit  of  the  poor  neglected  ones  in  a  distant  part 
of  the  city.     For  a  part  of  the  time   Mr.  Cummins 

was   rector  of  Trinity  Church  the  Rev.  T D 

was  his  assistant,  and  afterwards  the  Rev.  J G . 

These  two  j^oung  clergymen  were  graduates  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  near  Alexandria,  Va. 

The  first  temporary  home  occupied  by  the  pastor 
and  his  family  was  opposite  the  Capitol,  on  Capitol 
Hill.  They  had  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  lovely 
grounds  and  grand  old  trees.  In  a  letter  dated  May 
i8th,  1855,  after  returning  to  Washington  from  a  little 
trip  to  Virginia,  to  attend  Ijie  marriage  of  Mrs. 
C 's  youngest  brother,  he  writes  : 


94  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

"  I  found  the  city  very  cool  and  looking  lovely.  As  I 
write  this  morning,  the  birds  are  singing  in  the  trees  before 
the  windows,    and    the  grounds  opposite  are  looking   most 

beautiful.     Had  an  interview  with  Mr.   D ;  he  is  to  be 

baptized  to-night.  I  had  a  most  gratifying  interview  with 
him.  He  says  that  he  has  had  religious  impressions  for 
twenty  years,  and  that  my  lectures  have  removed  all  his  diffi- 
culties. I  feel  very  grateful  to  God  in  being  the  instrument 
in  such  a  conversion.  To-day  I  shall  see  the  other  persons 
who  are  to  be  baptized.  Mr.  Tillinghast  officiated  for  me 
Wednesday  night,  and  gave  the  congregation  an  excellent  dis- 
course. I  learn  Bishop  Otey  is  in  town,  the  guest  of  Lieu- 
tenant Maury  at  the  Observatory,  and  I  will  see  him  this 
afternoon." 

We  insert  at  this  date  a  letter  to  his  little  son  : 

"  Washington,  May  i8,  1855. 

"  My  Precious  Georgie  :  I  write  you  a  letter  to-day  to 
tell  you  how  much  I  miss  you  and  sweet  sister.  I  look  over 
to  the  beautiful  Capitol  grounds,  but  I  do  not  see  any  sweet 
little  boy  or  girl  like  papa's  trundling  their  hoops  ;  and  last 
night  there  was  no  little  body  in  the  tiny  bed.  I  looked  into 
your  drawer  this  morning  and  thought  of  you  ;  and  into 
the  baby-house,  and  saw  the  baby  sitting  very  quiet.  She 
seems  very  lonely.  She  has  no  one  to  play  with  her  but  the 
mice,  and  I  expect  they  run  over  her  face  and  toes,  and 
wonder  why  she  does  not  take  notice  of  them. 

"  You  must  be  a  very  good  boy  and  make  dear  mamma 
happy  while  papa  is  away,  and  when  you  start  to  come  home 
I  will  put  mamma  and  sister  under  your  care,  and  you  must 
take  good  care  of  them,  for  they  are  very  precious.  And 
when  you  get  to  the  Relay  House  you  will  see  papa  peeping 
into  the  cars  to  see  where  his  precious  boy  is,  and  how  happy 
we  will  be  to  meet  again.!  So  you  must  come  home  soon, 
for    papa  is  very  lonely  away  from  you  all.      A  little  bird 


LIFE  IN    WASHINGTON.  95 

came  and  sat  on  the  tree  this  morning  by  the  window.  I  won- 
der if  he  came  to  see  if  you  were  at  home  ?  Good-by.  Papa 
prays  for  you  every  day,  and  you  must  pray  for  him.  Kiss 
sweet  sister  for  me.  Your  own  Papa." 

May  2 1  St,  1855,  he  writes  : 

"  I  closed  my  letter  on  Friday,  took  it  to  the  post-office, 
and  then  went  to  see  Bishop  Otey  ;  he  could  not  stay  to  preach 
for  me,  as  he  was  obliged  to  leave  for  Philadelphia  Saturday 
morning.  Went  to  church  at  eight  ;  it  was  nearly  as  crowded 
as  on  Sunday.  I  baptized  four  adults — two  ladies  and  two  gen- 
tlemen. It  was  a  very  impressive  ceremony.  Saturday  after- 
noon Mrs.  McG came  for  me  in  her  carriage  to  go  to  see 

a  little  girl  eight  years  old  who  is  dangerously  ill,  and  who 
longed  greatly  to  see  me.     When  I  arrived  she  gave  me  a 

little  bouquet  she  had  arranged  for  me.     Mr.  D came  to 

see  me  Saturday  night.  I  believe  a  genuine  work  of  grace 
is  going  on  in  his  heart,  Sunday  morning  I  preached  to 
a  large  congregation,  and  again  at  night ;  the  church  was 
crowded.  I  preached  the  sermon  you  wrote  on  the  outer 
leaf,  concerning  the  conversion  of  that  young  officer  in  Nor- 
folk. I  see  the  candidates  for  confirmation  every  day  ;  there 
will  be  a  large  class.  To-day  the  city  is  alive  with  prepara- 
tion for  the  great  Sunday-school  celebration  at  five  o'clock 
P.M.,  at  the  Smithsonian  Institute.  Our  teachers  were  busy 
in  the  lecture-room  decorating  the  banners.  The  accounts, 
with  my  address,  will  appear  in  the  Baltimore  Sun  to-mor- 
row." 

In  a  letter  dated  Washington,  May  22d,  1855,  Mr. 
Cummins  speaks  of  his"  deep  anxiety  on  learning  of 
the  illness  of  his  little  son  : 

"  My  heart  yearns  over  our  precious  boy.  I  can  only 
commit  him  to  God,  and  try  to  rest  my  troubled  heart  on 
Him,     It  is  but  a  year  since  I  watched  with  intense  anxiety 


9^  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

by  our  dear  Lizzie's  bed,  and  God  in  mercy  raised  her  up, 
yet  how  ungrateful  have  we  been  for  all  His  infinite  mercies  ! 
I  feel  most  deeply  that  I  deserve  His  chastenings,  and  can 
only  cry  to  Him  for  mercy.  We  had  a  great  celebration 
yesterday — not  less  than  three  thousand  children  and  many 
adults.  Five  schools  could  not  gain  admittance  into  the 
room  ;  it  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  I  thought  at 
one  time  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  make  my  way 
in,  but  the  janitor  led  me  to  the  stage  by  a  back  door.  The 
view  on  the  green  lawn  of  so  many  children  in  spring  attire 
was  most  beautiful.  I  have  been  to-day  to  the  vestry-room 
to  see  candidates  for  confirmation,  but  I  had  no  heart  to  visit 
after  hearing  of  my  darling  boy's  illness.  It  is  sweet,  when 
I  can  do  nothing  else,  to  pray  for  you  all.  May  our  Father 
keep  you  and  restore  our  dear  child,  is  my  earnest  prayer." 

The  dear  child  was  restored  to  health  in  answer  to 
prayer  ;  for  which  his  father  gave  fervent  and  special 
thanks.  This  month,  May,  1855,  Mr.  Cummins  de- 
livered the  annual  address  before  the  Evangelical 
Knowledge  Society,  during  the  session  of  the  Dio- 
cesan Convention  held  in  Baltimore.  "  My  class,"  he 
writes,  "  for  confirmation  increases.     I  have  one  very 

interesting  case — a  Mr.  R .     This  afternoon  the 

band  is  playing  in  the  Capitol  grounds,  and  every 
thing  is  looking  lovely.  I  never  weary  of  looking 
upon  the  view  opposite  our  windows."  In  the  early 
part  of  June  the  congregation  of  Trinity  Church  pre- 
sented their  beloved  rector  with  a  very  valuable  car- 
riage and  horse,  that  he  and  his  family  might  have 
the  benefit  of  exercise,  and  he  the  more  easily  get 
over  the  great  distances  covered  by  his  large  parish. 
On  the  presentation  of  this  most  valuable  gift  Mr. 
Cummins  sent  his  people  the  following  note  of  thanks  ; 


LIFE  IN    WASHINGTON.  97 

"  Washington,  June  15,  1855. 

"  My  Dear  Sir  :  It  is  difficult  to  give  proper  expression 
to  my  feelings  upon  the  reception  of  the  valuable  and  costly 
gift  made  through  you  by  my  beloved  people,  the  congregation 
of  Trinity  Church.  I  have  heard  of  such  tokens  of  affection 
made  to  pastors  after  long  years  of  service,  but  this  offering 
meets  me  almost  on  my  entrance  upon  my  duties,  and  after  a 
ministry  of  only  six  months'  duration  in  my  present  charge.  I 
appreciate  it  from  my  heart — not  only  for  its  own  unmeasured 
value  to  me,  not  only  because  it  will  greatly  add  to  the 
efficiency  of  my  pastoral  work,  but  chiefly  for  the  delightful 
assurance  it  conveys  of  my  place  in  the  affections  of  the  con- 
gregation. I  can  only  assure  the  dear  friends  who  have  so 
generously  contributed  to  my  comfort  that  their  gift  shall  be 
used  in  their  service  ;  that  it  will  bind  me  closer  to  them  in 
the  tenderest  ties  ;  and  that  I  ask  no  higher  happiness  than  to 
spend  and  be  spent  for  their  good,  and  no  sublimer  reward 
than  their  own  eternal  salvation  through  my  humble  instru- 
mentality. With  my  earnest  prayers  for  God's  blessing  upon 
every  member  of  my  charge, 

"  I  am  faithfully  and  affectionately  their  friend  and  pastor, 

"  George  D.  Cummins. 
"  To  Joseph  F.  Lewis,  Esq.,  Washington." 

The  summer  of  1855,  or  rather  the  period  of  his 
vacation,  was  passed  by  Mr.  Cummins  at  Cape  May, 
Schooley's  Mountain,  N.  J.,  and  at  West  Point, 
returning  to  his  duties  the  first  of  September. 
He  speaks,  in  a  letter  dated  September  3d,  1855,  of 
reaching  Washington  safely,  giving  thanks  to  God 
for  His  merciful  preservation.  The  accounts  of  the 
awful  railway  accident  at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  had  just 

reached  him.     "  Mr.  W , "  he  says,  "  met  me  at 

the  depot,  with   Mr.  L ,  Mr.    G ,  Mr.  C , 

and  Mr.  D .     They  gave  me  a  most  cordial  wel- 


9^  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

come  home.     On  Sunday  had  a  large  communion. 

Mr.  D assisted  me,  and  read  for  me  at  night." 

The  summer  of  1855  was  a  memorable  one  in  the 
history  of  Norfolk.  The  yellow-fever  appeared  early 
in  the  season,  and  raged  for  many  weeks.  The  ac- 
counts were  fearful,  and  made  the  heart  ache  to  read 
them.     In  this  letter  Mr.  Cummins  writes  : 

' '  My  heart  yearns  for  poor  Norfolk  !  I  send  you  the 
awful  accounts  in  the  Baltimore  Sun.  On  Friday  there  were 
forty  deaths.  So  many  of  our  dear  friends  have  been  taken  ! 
The  President  will  be  asked  to-day  to  remove  the  troops  from 
'  Old  Point '  and  give  the  fortress  up  to  the  people  of  Nor- 
folk and  Portsmouth,  well  and  sick,  leaving  only  those  who 
cannot  be  removed,  and  enough  to  nurse  them.  A  meeting 
for  prayer  for  the  sufferers  is  to  be  held  to-night  in  Baltimore 
in  a  Presbyterian  church,  but  composed  of  all  denominations. 
This  is  the  true  spirit  and  way  to  work  ;  human  means  have 
been  tried  so  long,  and  proved  unavailing,  it  may  be  God 
will  hear  and  answer  prayer  for  the  staying  of  the  pestilence. 
Thursday  is  to  be  observed  in  Richmond  as  a  day  of  humili- 
ation and  prayer.  A  gloom  hangs  over  the  District  from  the 
awful  catastrophe  at  Burlington." 

In  a  letter  of  September  5th,  1855,  he  writes  : 

"  I  must  begin  my  letter  about  Norfolk,  for  it  is  ever  in 
my  mind.  The  horrors  of  the  plague  there  are  beyond  all 
precedent  in  this  country.  I  met  on  the  avenue  yesterday 
morning  several  persons  just  arrived  by  the  boat  ;  they  look 
dreadfully.  They  report  42  deaths  Friday,  55  Saturday,  60 
on  Sunday,  and  54  on  Monday,  and  many  bodies  unburied 
for  want  of  coffins  and  men   to  bury  them.     Among  those 

who  have  died  are  Mr.  Jos.  R ,  Dr.  H ,  W.  E.  C , 

of  the  Beacon,  Mr.  G ,  all  our  acquaintances  and  friends  ! 

How  awful  !     Kind  Dr.  Selden  is  over  it.     He  was  attended 


LIFE  IN    WASHINGTON.  99 


by  Dr.  Fenna,  of  New  Orleans,  who  has  written  a  work  on 
yellow-fever.  The  people  will  be  removed  to  Old  Point, 
and  one  of  the  Baltimore  boats  will  convey  them  free  of 
charge,  and  a  military  company  from   Richmond  will   guard 

the   place.       Mr.    D came  up  in  the  evening,    and  we 

talked  about  his  plans  of  usefulness.  The  more  I  see  of  him 
the  more  I  am  impressed  with  his  noble  character  and  his 
adaptation  for  this  work.  He  is  actively  engaged  in  visiting 
among  the  poor.  We  will  open  a  Sunday-school  in  some 
part  of  the  city  most  destitute,  and  have  preaching  on  Sunday 

afternoons.      Mr.  D will  also  hold  religious  services  in 

the  week  in  the  houses  of  the  poor,  and  by  visiting  them  fre- 
quently enlist  their  interest  in  the  work.  Some  of  the  ladies 
of  the  congregation  wish  to  establish  a  school  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  children  of  the  poor  during  the  week,  and  I  hope 

this  will   be   done.     Mr.  D will   also  do  great  good  by 

taking  the  young  men  with  him  into  this  work.     Mr.  T ,* 

one  of  our  young  members,  is  already  nobly  at  work,  and 
wishes  to  study  for  the  ministry. 

"I  have  been  very  busy  lately  visiting  the  congregation. 

Holly  '   does  nobly,  and  improves  every  time  I  drive  him. 

How  are  my  precious  pets  ?    I  am  so  forcibly  reminded  of 

them  when  I  see  their  playthings — G 's  locomotive  and 

little  gun,  the  doll  and  her  bedstead,  and  a  little  bucket 
packed  full  of  things,  awaiting  the  return  of  two  busy  little 
heads  and  nimble  hands  !  The  new  wings  of  the  Capitol 
grow  finely.  Next  week  the  wo'-k  of  removing  the  dome 
commences.  The  workmen  gave  a  day's  wages  for  the  relief 
of  the  Norfolk  sufferers. ' ' 

In  another  letter  dated  September  7th  he  writes  : 

"  Drove  out  with  Mr.  L ,  and  on  returning  found  Mr. 

M waiting  to  see  me  :  he  is  hard  at  work  preparing  for 

*  He  has  been  for  many  years  connected  with  the   Protestant  Epis- 
copal mission  in  China. 


lOO  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

the  Seminary,  and  gives  up  his  profession  of  painting  without 
regret.  He  is  the  second  young  man  who  has  decided  to 
prepare  for  the  ministry  in  our  congregation  within  the  year. 

Yesterday  morning  I  drove  out  with   Mr.  D to  explore 

that  portion  of  the  city  where  we  wish  to  locate  our  mission- 
ary work.     We  happened  to  decide  upon  a  place  near  the 

border-line  of  our  parish,  and  Mr.  D found  a  house  most 

suitable  within  the  limits  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  S 's  parish,  and 

to  occupy  this  his  permission — according  to  our  canons — was 

necessary.     On  Mr.  D 's  calling  on  him  he  refused  his 

permission,  and  gave  us  to  understand  that  he  would  oppose 
all  operations  not  under  the  direction  of  the  committee.  We, 
of  course,  will  only  have  to  keep  within  our  own  parish  limits, 
and  there  not  all  the  clergy  and  bishops  of  the  land  can  pre- 
vent us  preaching  the  Gospel  as  much  as  we  please.     We 

will  only  strive  to  be  more  earnest  and  zealous.      Mr.  T 's 

little  son  is  very  ill.  The  little  fellow  sent  me  a  lovely  bou- 
quet of  exquisite  roses.  Your  friends  make  many  affection- 
ate inquiries  after  you.  The  accounts  from  Norfolk  are 
most  appalling.  If  I  am  detained  from  joining  you  it  will 
be  because  it  is  my  duty  to  remain  here,  and  we  could  not 
be  happy  to  act  otherwise." 

The  autumn  of  1855  found  Mr.  Cummins  and  his 
family  settled  in  a  lovely  home  on  Sixth  Street. 
There  they  had  the  privilege  of  frequently  gathering 
around  them  loved  relatives  and  valued  friends. 
Once  every  month  a  reception  was  held,  when  a  large 
part  of  the  congregation  met  at  the  rector's  home. 
The  venerable  father  and  mother  of  his  wife  spent  a 
part  of  the  winter  with  them.  This  sweet  intercourse 
they  greatly  enjoyed,  for  their  love  for  their  beloved 
son-in-law  was  rare  in  its  strength  and  intensity. 
The  work  in  which  Mr.  Cummins'  whole  heart  was 


LIFE  IN    WASHINGTON.  10 1 


engaged  went  on  uninterruptedly,  and  great  interest 
was  manifested   in  his  ministrations,  not  only  by  his 
own    people,   but  by  strangers  visiting  the  capital 
Officers  in  high  positions  under  government,  foreign- 
ers, Senators  and  Representatives,  and  justices  of  the 
United   States  Court  were  members  or  regular   at- 
tendants at  Trinity.     The  students  at  the  Theological 
Seminary  near  Alexandria  came    regularly— several 
each  Sunday— to  hear  him  preach.     His  own  home 
was  thrown    open  to  these  young  men,  and   many 
who  now  occupy  prominent  charges  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  were  frequently  his  guests.   Young 
men  loved  to  gather  around  him,  and  they  always 
felt  at  home  in  his  company.   The  influence  he  exerted 
on  them  was  wonderful,  and  frequently  there  would 
be  more  young  men  than  women  in  his  confirmation 
classes.     Wherever  he  went  his  influence   for  good 
was  felt.     The  loving  smile,  the  hearty  clasp  of  the 
hand,  the  ready  sympathy  for  all  in  sorrow  or  need, 
drew  about  him  many  friends.     In  the  quaint,  quiet 
old  town  of  Norfolk,  in  the  whirlpool  of  Washington 
society,  or  the  wondrous  rush  of    Chicago  hfe,    his 
holy  example  was  felt  thoroughly  by  men  absorbed  in 
the  distracting  pursuit  of  political  life  or  the  degrad- 
ing greed  for  wealth.     A  Senator  and  Governor  of 
on'e  of  our  most  important  States  said  in  1858  :  "  Mr. 
Cummins  ought  never  to  leave  Washington.   No  other 
man  can  take  his  place.   His  power  as  a  preacher  sur- 
passes that  of  any  man  I  know,  and  his  influence  is  felt 
throughout  the  country."     Another  eminent  states- 
man and  dear  friend   said  of  him  at  this  time  :  "  I 
never  knew  a  man  so  self -forgetful,  both  in  his  work 


I02  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

for  his  Master  or  socially  ;  and  in  his  home  he  is 
lovely."  One  of  the  judges  of  the  United  States 
Court  said  : 

"  I  never  knew  so  perfect  a  man.  My  profession  has 
thrown  me  with  men  whose  names  shine  as  stars  in  the  his- 
tory of  their  country,  and  I  have  heard  many  of  the  most 
distinguished  preachers  of  the  United  States,  but  I  have 
never  met  with  a  man  whose  character  was  so  symmetrical. 
As  a  clergyman,  as  a  father,  son,  brother,  husband,  and 
friend,  he  is  all  one  could  ask.  See  him  when  you  will, 
meet  him  under  all  circumstances,  and  he  is  the  same  gentle, 
loving  spirit.  No  one  can  come  within  the  pale  of  his  in- 
fluence and  not  be  made  better  by  it." 

In  the  spring  of  1856  Mr.  Cummins  delivered  a 
sermon  on  the  "  Evidences  of  Christianity"  before 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Washing- 
ton. It  was  one  of  a  series  delivered  by  clergymen 
of  all  evangelical  churches.  He  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  this  association,  and  whenever  time  and  opportun- 
ity permitted  he  was  ready  and  willing  to  aid  the 
members  in  their  work.  A  letter  of  thanks  was  ad- 
dressed to  him  on  the  occasion  of  his  delivering  this 
sermon,  by  the  president  and  other  officers  of  the  as- 
sociation. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MORE    EARNEST   WORK. 

"A  few  short  years  and  our  toil  is  done, 
Our  conflict  finished,  the  victory  won  ; 
We  shall  lay  our  cross  and  our  armor  down 
For  the  saintly  robe  and  the  kingly  crown." 

Marshall  B.  Smith. 
Aged  34. 

IN  the  spring  of  1856  Mrs.  C— —  and  the  little  chil- 
dren went  for  a  visit  to  Judge  Balch's.     Writing 
under  date  of  May  19th  Mr.  Cummins  says  :  "  I  did 

not  reach  W until  Sunday  morning  at  six  o'clock, 

owing  to  an  accident  on  the  road.     Mr.  D had 

given  me  up,  and   engaged   Mr.  G to  preach  for 

me.  At  four  o'clock  I  had  service  in  the  church,  and 
baptized  six  children  and  afterwards  visited  the  col- 
ored Sunday-school.  At  night  I  preached  from  St. 
John  14  :  9  to  a  very  large  audience. "  Mr.  Cummins, 
accompanied  by  some  friends,  attended  the  Virginia 
Diocesan  Convention,  held  in  Fredericksburg,  May 
2 1  St,  1856.     He  says  : 

"I  am  writing  to  you  from  the  table  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Convention,  where  I  feel  as  perfectly  at  home  as  I  ever 
did  among  so  many  very  dear  brethren  and  friends  of  other 
days.     I  started  on  Wednesday  morning  with  Thomas  and 

Mary  D ,  and  found  more  of  my  people  at   the  boat — 

the   Rev.    Mr.    P ,  of  Wheeling,  and  some  Philadelphia 

clergymen.  At  Alexandria  we  took  in  a  large  number  of 
clergy    and   laity — Mr.   and    Mrs.    G ,    Mr.    Dana,    Dr. 


104  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Packard,  and  a  host  of  others.  Bishop  Johns,  his  daughter, 
and  a  number  of  students  were  on  board.  We  arrived  at  Fred- 
ericksburg about    eleven  o'clock,  and  were  kindly  received. 

I  am  most  pleasantly  entertained  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C . 

We  went  over  to  the  church  and  found  a  brilliant  assembly  ; 
the  church  crowded.  Rev.  Mr.  Pendleton,  of  Lexington, 
preached  the  Convention  sermon,  and  an  excellent  one. 
Bishop  Meade  followed  with  an  exhortation.  After  the  ser- 
vices a  most  joyous  and  exciting  scene  followed.  So  many 
dear  friends,  so  many  old  familiar  faces  !  My  hand  ached 
with  the  warm  grasp  of  so  many,  and  my  voice  was  hoarse 
with  talking,  and  by  night  I  was  very  weary.  M and  An- 
drews gave  me  a  regular  hugging.     At  half-past  four  I  went 

to  Dr.  B 's  to  see  Mrs.  S .     It  was  a  sweet  meeting. 

We  talked  of  you  and  the  dear  children,  and  of  Norfolk.  I 
prayed  with  her  as  in  old  times,  and  then  left.  Last  night 
we  had  a  meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society  in- 
stead of  a  sermon.  This  morning  I  preached  at  eleven  o'clock 
to  an  exceedingly  crowded  congregation  ;  many  had  to  go  away. 
I  tried  to  preach  to  do  good  to  \}Lvt  young  men.,  and  I  trust  it 

will  be  blessed  to  them.     I  dined  to-day  at  Mr.  B 's  with 

Bishop    Johns,  M ,  Colonel  S ,  and  others.     A  great 

work  is  going  on  in  Lexington  among  the  cadets.  Many  of 
the  clergy  and  laity  wish  me  to  go  up  Sunday  and  preach  to 
them  ;  but  it  is  impossible  :  I  must  be  at  home  Saturday." 

In  a  deeply  interesting  letter,  dated  Washington, 
May  25th,  Mr.  Cummins  continues  his  account  of  the 
Virginia  Convention  : 

' '  I  would  that  you  could  be  by  my  side,  that  I  might  tell 
you  more  fully  of  the  precious  religious  festival  I  have  so 
lately  left  in  Fredericksburg.  I  do  not  know  that  ever  in  my 
life  I  enjoyed  so  much  the  communion  of  saints,  for  such 
indeed  it  was.  I  found  in  every  one  a  brother,  and  trust 
that  I  was  blessed  by  the  intercourse.      I  wrote  you  from  the 


MORE  EARNEST    WORK.  I05 

lecture-room  of  the  church.  That  afternoon  we  had  a  meet- 
ing of  the  clergy  and  laity  for  conference  and  prayer,  and 
especially  to  hear  an  account  of  the  wondrous  work  of  grace 
among  the  cadets  and  young  men  of  Lexington.  Mr.  Pen- 
dleton and  Colonel  S spoke.  Many  were  in  tears.  It  be- 
gan, as  far  as  human  instrumentality  goes,  in  a  prayer-meeting 

held  by  Colonel  S in  his  office  twice  a  week.     The  revival 

went  on  quietly  until  fifty  cadets  have  been  brought  to  Jesus  ; 
and  others  from  Washington — now  Washington  and  Lee 
College — have  also  been  influenced  Some  have  chosen  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  and  still  the  work  goes  on.  After  hear- 
ing of  this  blessed  work.  Rev.  Mr.  Scott  arose  and  told  of  a 
similar  work  in  Africa,  and  it  was  wonderful  to  mark  how  in 
both  cases,  in  two  hemispheres,  and  under  such  diverse  cir- 
cumstances, there  were  such  similar  features.  At  night  Mr. 
Caldwell  preached  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  and  Dr. 

M in  the  Presbyterian.  Friday  night  I  preached  again  in  the 

Methodist  church,  and  Saturday  morning  spoke  at  the  morning 
meeting  at  six  o'clock  in  our  church.  Those  morning  meet- 
ings were  most  precious  !  The  large  church  was  filled,  and 
singing,  extempore  prayer,  and  warm  addresses  formed  the 
exercises.  I  spoke  from  the  words  of  Peter,  '  It  is  good  to 
be  here  ;'  and  at  9.30  I  left — with  a  reluctant  heart,  but  feel- 
ing it  a  duty  to  come. 

"  Dr.  Tyng  arrived  Friday  night,  and  was  to  speak  at  a 
missionary  meeting  last  night  and  preach  on  Sunday.  Bishop 
Johns  came  up  in  the  boat  with  me,  he  having  been  taken  ill 
and  compelled  to  return  home.  I  preached  twice  on  Sunday  : 
in  the  morning  from  St.  James   i  :  22,  23,  and  took  all  the 

service,  as  Mr.  D remained  in  Fredericksburg.     At  night 

from  the  text,  '  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
neither  will  they  be  persuaded  though  one  rose  from  the 
dead.'  " 

Mr.  Cummins  attended  the  Protestant  Episcopal 


I06  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

Convention  held  in  Baltimore  the  last  week  in  May. 
In  a  letter,  dated  Washington,  June  2d  of  the  same 
year,  he  says  :  "  Sunday  morning  I  preached  to  a 
large  congregation  a  sermon  for  the  times  on  the 
text,  '  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,' 
etc.,  inculcating  love,  kindness,  and  forbearance. 
You  know  what  a  terrible  state  of  things  prevails 
here  since  Mr.  Sumner  was  assaulted,  so  many  carry- 
ing arms,  expecting  deadly  rencounters.  The  com- 
munion was  large.  I  read  my  report  made  to  the  con- 
vention to  the  congregation.    I  dined  at  Mr.  C 's. 

At  night  preached  from  the  text,  '  His  heart  trem- 
bled for  the  ark  of  God.'  The  church  was  filled." 
In  the  same  letter  he  writes  of  his  little  daughter  : 
"  I'know  who  was  the  *  May  Queen  '  on  Saturday — 
just  the  sweetest  and  most  precious  little  somebody 
about  seven  years  old,  whose  little  cheeks  are  so 
blooming  !  '  Under  date  of  June  4th  he  thus  writes 
of  his  work  : 

"  The  heat  is  intense,  thermometer  at  96,  and  the  dust  is  al- 
most intolerable.  On  Monday  at  five  administered  the  commu- 
nion to  a  lady  at  the  infirmary  ;  then  visited  Mrs.  M ;  from 

thence  to  the  Rugby  House  to  see  Mrs.  C ,  who  has  been 

so  ill  ;  then  to  Mrs.  B 's,  who  cannot  recover  ;  and  after- 
wards to  Mr.  T 'sto  inquire  about  his  little  child.  Tues- 
day I  determined  to  accompany  our  Sunday-school  to  the 
seminary.  The  children  went  in  omnibuses.  Mr.  Lewis 
and  I  went  in  the  boat.  I  saw  Dr.  and  Mrs.  May.  The 
children  met  in  the  grove  near  Dr.  Sparrow's  house.  They 
had  singing  and  addresses  from  two  of  the  students.  I  saw 
a  letter  of  Mr.  Rambo's  to  Dr.  May  :  he  says  the  health  of 
all  the  missionaries  is  very  bad.  Mrs.  Payne,  Mrs.  Hoffman, 
and  Miss  Alley  are  all  ill  :  he  scarcely  knows  which  will  be 


MORE  EARNEST    WORK.  lO/ 

taken  first.  Miss  Ball  has  returned  home.  Only  Miss  Wil- 
liford  in  tolerable  health.  Little  Kate  Hoffman  died  very 
suddenly  in  February." 

In  1855   Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoffman,  with  their  infant, 

visited  Washington.       After  they  left,   Mrs.    H 

writes  thus  from  Alexandria,  March  20th  : 

"  Went  after  tea  with  Miss  D and  M.  Mc to  see 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C .     Mr.  Cummins  is  as  ever.     Words  do 

not  express  what  he  is.  We  had  a  pleasant  visit.  Sunday, 
Charlie  walked  with  me  to  Trinity,  and  I  sat  in  the  rector's 
pew.  Lizzie  and  Georsie  came  in.  Lizzie  at  once  took  my 
hand,  and  smiled  so  brightly,  I  wondered  if  she  knew  me,  not 
having  seen  me  since  I  left.  And  now  what  can  I  say,  dear 
sister  ?  Four  years  and  a  half  have  passed  since  the  solemn 
words  of  our  blessed  Liturgy  were  uttered  by  the  voice  which 
first  awakened  me  to  a  sense  of  their  beauty,  and  again 
I  heard  it  :  '  The  Lord  is  in  His  holy  temple,'  etc.  I  believe 
I  wished  I  might  die  with  the  words  of  Holy  Scripture  read 
by  his  voice  bearing  my  spirit  upward.  After  following 
with  continuous  interest  every  petition  in  the  sweet  litany, 
and  joining  in  singing  the  beautiful  psalm,  '  As  pants  the  hart 
for  cooling  streams,'  I  heard  the  words,  '  Not  slothful  in 
business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord.'  Could  you  but 
have  heard  that  sermon  !  It  will  follow  me  to  the  grave. 
The  vivid  picture  drawn  of  the  Church  in  earnest  I  see  now, 
and,  God  helping  me,  I  will  more  nearly  resemble  it.  The 
close  was  an  application  of  the  subject  to  ourselves,  and  could 
he  have  read  my  heart,  he  could  not  have  carried  out  a  train 
of  thought  more  suited  to  me.     I  went  home  with  Lizzie, 

and   dined   with    E .     We   had   a   long  talk  about   Mr. 

C 's  leaving  Richmond.     Had  I — which  I  had  not — a 

doubt  before,  they  would  have  fled  then.  His  soul  is  more 
than  ever  in  earnest  for  those  under  his  care.  He  gives  all 
glory  to  the  grace  of  God  for  the  good  done.     He  has  intro- 


I08  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


duced  four  collections  annually  for  missions  ;  has  a  mission- 
ary meeting  once  a  month,  when  reports  and  letters  are  read 
from  missionaries  ;  he  has  two  lectures  a  week,  and  a  Sun- 
day-school teachers'  meeting  once  a  month.  There  are  four 
schools  attached  to  the  church,  and  over  six  hundred  schol- 
ars ;  Bible-classes  for  gentlemen  and  ladies,  the  questions  for 
which  he  prepares  himself.  Besides  this,  he  has  two  sermons 
each  Sunday^  and  the  Wednesday  evening  lectures  are  pre- 
pared with  as  great  care  as  a  sermon.  They  are  delivered  in 
courses,  and  are  most  interesting." 

This  dear  child  of  God  returned  to  Africa  in  the 
autumn  of  1853.  Her  health  failed  rapidly  on  reach- 
ing Cavalla,  and  on  March  23d,  1856,  just  one  year 
after  the  above  letter  was  written  to  her  beloved 
sister,  she  passed  away,  and  her  grave  is  now  by  the 
ocean  side,  under  the  shade  of  the  graceful  palm-tree. 

In  the  summer  of  1856  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cummins 
spent   several   days   with    their    dear   friends,    Rev. 

W W and   his  wife,    at  Leesburg,    Loudon 

County,    Virginia.     Mr,    W was  then  rector  of 

the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  that  town.  Bish- 
op Meade  was  visiting  the  church  in  Leesburg  at 
the    same    time.     He    dined  one    day    at  Rev.  Mr. 

W 's,  and  after  dinner  he  requested  Dr.  Cummins 

to  go  into  the  parlor  with  him,  as  he  wished  to  speak 
with  him  alone.  The  aged  and  feeble  bishop  rested 
on  a  sofa,  while  his  beloved  young  friend  sat  beside 
him.  They  talked  much  of  the  state  of  the  Church, 
so  dear  to  the  bishop,  of  the  errors  then  existing,  of 
its  future,  etc.,  and  at  the  close  of  the  conversation 
he  said  : 

"  The  signs  of  the  times  are  such  as  to  fill  my  heart  with 
the  deepest  anxiety.  Matters  cannot  remain  as  they  are  ; 
those  holding  the  doctrines  of  baptismal  regeneration,  of  a 


MORE  EARNEST   WORK.  IO9 

priesthood,  and  kindred  errors,  will  go  on  to  greater  extremes, 
and  they  will  take  a  deeper  hold  on  the  clergy  and  laity  of  our 
beloved  Church.  /  shall  not  live  to  see  it,  but  a  time  will 
come  when  some  one  must  breast  the  current  and  stand  up 
boldly  in  defence  of  the  truth.  On  you  and  those  like- 
minded  will  devolve  this  duty.  I  charge  you  to  stand  firm, 
and  I  look  to  such  as  you  to  bear  the  standard  of  God's 
truth  bravely  and  faithfully." 

Several  weeks  of  the  year  were  passed  at  Nor- 
thampton, Newport,  and  Staten  Island  ;  at  the  two 
latter  places  they  were  the  guests  of  dear  friends. 
The  period  of  time  prior  to  making  this  northern  trip 
was  passed  in  constant  visiting-  among  his  people,  es- 
pecially the  sick  and  afflicted.     In  a  letter  written  at 

this  time  he  mentions  having  dined  at  Mrs.  W 's 

(one  of  his  parishioners),  and  having  a  conversation 
with  jNIrs.  Lee,  who  gave  him  an  interesting  account 
of  a  dinner  she  was  at  with  General  Washington,  and 
of  the  present  Mr,  Custis,  of  Arlington,  coming  in 
from  school  while  they  were  at  dinner — a  boy  about 
ten  years  of  age — and  calling  General  Washington 
"grandfather."  The  journal  letters  written  by  Mr. 
Cummins  at  this  time  are  filled  with  the  record  of  his 
daily  duties — visiting,  and  other  pastoral  work.  In 
one  he  sa3^s  :  "  Read  Rev.  Mr.  Chisholm's  Life  to- 
day"— he  died  during  the  pestilence  in  Norfolk.  "  It 
has  done  me  good.  Oh  may  his  mantle  fall  on  me  ! 
.     .     .     .     This  is  ordination  week  at  the  seminary. 

I  hope  to  be  able  to  go  down.     Mrs.   G is  here 

from  Norfolk,  and  has  brought  us  some  beautiful  ar- 
ticles from  Japan,  I  went  to  see  her,  and  told  her 
we  would  have  had  her  as  our  guest  had  you  been 
at  home.     Received  a  sweet  letter  from  Dr.  P — '■ — , 


HO  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

of  Richmond,  making  an  appeal  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Chis- 
holm's  church,  Portsmouth  ;  will  take  up  a  collection 
next  Sunday.  I  would  do  any  thing  for  the  sake  of 
that  blessed  man."  We  insert  here  a  part  of  a  letter 
written  at  this  time  : 

"  Theological  Seminary,  June  26,  1856. 
"  I  write  you  a  few  lines  from  dear  Dr.  May's  study.   I  am 
his  guest.     The  meeting  of  the  Alumni  took  place  at  eleven. 

I   dined   at   Dr.    Sparrow's.     At   four   o'clock    Mr.    H 

preached  a  sermon  before  the  Alumni.  At  night  I  preached 
before  the  students  from  the  words,  '  He  that  goeth  forth  and 
weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again 
with  rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves  with  him.'  This  morn- 
ing at  nine  I  attended  the  examination  of  the  Senior  Class  by 

Dr.  Sparrow  on  the  Articles,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  Mr.  P 

delivered  the  sermon  before  the  Missionary  Society  of  the 
seminary,  after  which  we  heard  the  Senior  Class  read  their 
essays.  I  dined  at  Dr.  May's,  and  at  three  o'clock  Dr.  Spar- 
row delivered  the  address  to  the  graduating  class.  It  was  a 
masterly  effort,  on  the  true  qualifications  of  a  minister.  After 
this  dear  Bishop  Meade  addressed  the  class  and  delivered  the 
diplomas.     I  went  over  and  took  tea  at  the  High  School  with 

Dr.  McG and  his  family,  and  afterwards  addressed  the 

boys  on  the  privilege  of  being  early  in  Christ.  A  remarkable 
religious  interest  is  prevailing  in  the  school." 

June  30th  he  writes  : 

"  Mr.  K brought  sad  news  from  the  seminary.     Our 

loved  one,  Virginia  Hoffman,  is  a  saint  in  heaven  !  Dr. 
May  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hoffman  telling  all.     She  died  on 

Easter  Sunday  morning  after  great  suffering.     Mary  D 

will  copy  the  letter  for  you. 

"  Oh  !  how  many  of  our  best  friends  are  now  in  heaven  !" 

In  another  letter,  written  a  tew  days  later,  he  says  : 


MORE  EARNEST  WORK.  Ill 

"  To-day  we  complete  the  purchase  of  our  lot  on  Sixth 

r.nd  N  streets,  and  by  October  our  chapel  will  be  up  !     Is  it 
not  glorious  ?     It  is  a  beautiful  location." 

On  his  return  to  Washington  after  his  summer's 
rest,  Mr.  Cummins  found  all  his  people  well,  and  he 
writes  most  cheerfully  of  the  winter's  work  which  he 
had  already  mapped  out.  With  all  his  native  energy 
and  enthusiasm  he  planned  new  work,  besides  the 
usual  busy  routine,  and  entered  into  it  with  fresh 
zeal.  At  this  time  he  wrote  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  his 
beloved  friend,  Rev.  William  M.  Jackson,  rector  of 
St.  Paul's  Church,  Norfolk,  Va.,  who  died  of  yel- 
low fever  in  1855. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

CALL  TO   NEW   YORK. 

"  For  God  is  not  unrighteous  to  forget  your  work  and  labor  of 
love,  which  ye  have  showed  toward  His  name,  in  that  ye  have  minis- 
tered to  the  saints,  and  do  minister." — Heb.  6  :  lo. 


I 


N  November  of  this  year  Mr.  Cummins  received 
the  following  letter  : 


"  New  York,  November  ii,  1856. 

"Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  :  By  a  vote  of  the  vestry  of  St. 
Thomas'  Church,  New  York,  we  are  charged  with  communi- 
cating to  you  the  following  resolutions,  passed  unanimously 
at  a  meeting  of  the  vestry  held  last  evening  :  Resolved^  That 
the  rectorship  of  St.  Thomas'  Church  be  tendered  to  the 
Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

' '  In  furtherance  of  the  object  of  these  resolutions,  we  would 
ask  for  this  subject  your  earnest  attention.  The  parish  of 
St.  Thomas,  in  the  character  and  influence  of  its  congrega- 
tion, holds  an  important  position  among  the  older  churches 
of  the  city. 

' '  It  has  always  been  sustained  by  rare  ability  and  worth  on 
the  part  of  its  pastors,  the  succession  of  whom,  since  its 
foundation,  has  been  Rev.  Cornelius  R-  Duffie,  its  first  in- 
cumbent, succeeded  by  Dr.,  now  Bishop,  Upfold,  who  was 
followed  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hawks.  He  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.,  now  Bishop,  Whitehouse,  to  whom  our  late  rector, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Neville,  was  the  successor.  Dr.  Neville  has 
left  us  in  a  condition  of  general  prosperity.     You  are  our 


CALL    TO  NEW   YORK.  II3 

first  choice  in  the  present  vacancy.  We  trust  that  you  may 
give  this  proposition  a  favorable  hearing,  that  you  may  come 
among  us  and  enjoy  the  harvest  of  the  ministry  which  we 
are  confident  awaits  you.  That  New  York  offers  an  abun- 
dant field  for  the  noblest  ministerial  duty  we  need  not  urge, 
for  you  are  familiar  with  the  wants  and  opportunities  of  large 
cities.  Any  special  information  which  you  may  desire  con- 
cerning the  parish  we  shall  be  glad  to  furnish  you.  St. 
Thomas  occupies  a  prominent  site  on  Broadway,  and  has 
been  recently  rebuilt.  If  you  prefer  to  visit  us,  we  shall  be 
happy  to  aid  you  in  forming  a  resolution.  If  we  are  generally 
well  enough  known  to  you  to  authorize  you  in  at  once  ac- 
cepting this  call,  we  shall  take  it  as  a  compliment  that  you  so 
decide.  Looking  for  as  speedy  a  reply  as  convenient,  and 
trusting  that  we  may  soon  become  personally  acquainted  with 
you — -as  you  are  so  honorably  known  to  us  now  by  reputation 
— we  remain  for  ourselves,  and  in  behalf  of  the  Vestry  of  St. 
Thomas,' 

"Yours  respectfully,  M.  Spencer,         )   „r    j 

Lyman  DenIson,  [  ^^^^'^«-^- 

"Evert  A.   Duyckinck,  Clerks 

This  letter  was  followed  by  one  written  by  Bishop 
Whitehouse,  one  of  the  former  rectors  of  St. Thomas', 
to  Rev.  Dr.  Balch,  brother  of  Mrs.  Cummins.  It  is 
dated — 

"  New  York,  November  12,  1S56. 
"  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  :  The  vestry  of  St.  Thomas'  Church 
on  Monday  evening  gave  a  unanimous  call  to  Mr.  Cummins, 
of  Washington,  who,  I  believe,  is  your  brother-in-law.  I 
have  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing  him  personally,  but  am 
anxious  that  he  should  accept  the  invitation.  I  have  known 
the  progress  of  events  that  have  resulted  in  this  application  to 

Mr.  C ,  and  they  have  been  very  satisfactory  in   showing 

a  strong  personal  interest  in  him,  and  a  very  united  desire  to 


114  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

obtain  him.  If  you  can  say  a  word,  backed  by  my  testimony, 
to  induce  a  favorable  reply,  I  think  a  mutual  benefit  will  be 
conferred  on  congregation  and  pastor, 

"Very  faithfully  yours,  Henry  J.  Whitehouse. 

"Rev.  Dr.  Balch." 

A  letter  of  counsel  from  Dr.  Balch  was  received 
by  Mr.  Cummins  on  the  15th.  Another  letter,  writ- 
ten by  a  valued  friend  in  New  York,  expressed  the 
writer's  opinion  as  to  the  claims  of  St.  Thomas',  as 
compared  to  Trinity  Church,  Washington.  This  was 
followed  by  a  long  letter  signed  by  the  wardens  of 
St.  Thomas',  giving  Mr.  Cummins  further  information 
respecting  that  church,  for  which  he  had  written,  in 
order  that  he  might  decide  wisely  as  to  this  call.  A 
letter  from  a  friend,  dated  New  York,  November 
17th,  1856,  in  reply  to  one  from  himself,  says  : 

"  You  would  have  no  difficulty  in  carrying  out  your 
Evangelical  views.     Most  of  the  congregation  would  go  with 

you  heart  and  hand.      Dr.  T has  expressed  a  strong  wish 

that  you  would  come.  You  would  be  most  cordially  received 
here,  and  would  have  plenty  of  work.  Trusting  that  you 
may  be  guided  from  on  high,  and  that  under  that  guidance 
you  may  be  borne  to  this  city,  I  remain  affectionately  and 

truly  yours,  H.  D . " 

"Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins. 

"Do  not  hesitate  to  command  my  services  in  any  way 
you  please." 

A  very  kind  letter  from  the  late  pastor  of  St. 
Thomas',  Rev.  Dr.  Neville,  was  also  received,  giving 
information,  and  containing  many  expressions  of  inter- 
est in  Mr.  Cummins'  decision.  This  letter  is  dated 
"  Taunton,  November    18,    1856."     The  next  letter  in 


CALL   TO  NEW  YORK.  II5 

order  of  date  is  from   Rev.    Dr.  G.  T.  Bedell,  then 
rector  of  Ascension  Church,  New  York. 

"  New  York,  November  18,  1856. 
"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  To  no  brother  would 
1  give  a  more  hearty  welcome  than  to  yourself  ;  and  under  no 
one  do  I  think  St.  Thomas'  would  be  more  likely  to  grow.  For 
the  sake  of  that  parish  it  is  greatly  important  that  you  should 
decide  to  come.  I  have  been  accustomed  to  regard  your 
church  in  Washington  as  one  of  the  highest  importance.  I 
know  no  such  field  for  the  promotion  of  the  glory  of  God  for 
a  man  who  has  the  peculiar  talent  for  it.  I  shall  rejoice  to 
have  such  a  coadjutor  here,  and  so  commending  you  to  the 
infallible  guidance  of  God,  I  am  your  faithful  brother, 

"G.  T.  Bedell. 
"Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins." 

After  prayerful  consideration  and  a  careful  weigh- 
ing of  the  judgment  of  his  friends,  Mr.  Cummins 
declined  the  call  to  St.  Thomas'  Church,  New  York, 
and  on  November  22d  received  the  following  note 
from  Mr.  Maury  on  behalf  of  the  vestry  of  Trinity 
Church,  Washington  : 

"  Dear  Sir  :  By  a  unanimous  resolution  passed  by  the 
vestry  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  21st  inst.,  I  am  instructed  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  very  acceptable  letter  of  that 
date,  and  to  express  to  you  the  gratification  of  the  vestry 
that  you  have  seen  fit  to  decline  the  call  to  another  field  of 
duty.     Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

"C.  B.  Maury,  Register  pro  tern. 
"Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins, 

''Rector  Trinity  Church,   Washington.'* 

In  1857,  i"  the  month  of  May,  he  held  the  first 
religious  service  in  the  new  hall  of  the  Capitol.     One 


Il6  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

of  the  leading  papers  of  the  day  thus  speaks  of  it : 
"  The  first  reUgious  services,  the  first  hymn  of  praise, 
and  the  first  sermon  was  delivered  in  the  new  hall  of 
the  Capitol  to-day  by  the  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins, 
D.D.  More  than  two  thousand  persons  were  com- 
fortably seated.  The  arrangements  of  the  hall  were 
perfect,  and  the  voice  of  the  speaker  was  distinctly 
heard  in  every  part.  Dr.  Cummins'  text  was  Deut. 
33  :  29.  The  theme  of  the  speaker  was  '  the  hand  of 
God  in  the  history  of  this  country. '  ' '  Then  follows 
a  full  report  of  the  sermon,  and  of  the  closing  services. 

In  this  year  Mr.  Cummins  was  invited  to  deliver 
one  of  the  addresses  at  the  Thirty-second  Anniver- 
sary of  the  "  American  Sunday-school  Union,"  held 
in  Philadelphia.  In  October  he  received  a  very 
affectionate  letter  from  his  dear  friend  and  brother, 
the  Rev.  C.  C.  Hoffman,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Mission  to  West  Africa,  respecting  a  memoir  of  his 
wife,  which  Mr.  Cummins  had  been  urged  by  her 
friends  to  write.  This  work  he  undertook  amid  all 
his  many  duties.     It  was  a  labor  of  love. 

The  first  letter  we  have,  written  in  1857,  bears  the 
date  of  May  22d,  and  is  from  "  Petersburg,  Vir- 
ginia," where  Mr.  Cummins  went  to  attend  the  Dio- 
cesan Convention.  There  he  met  again  many  dear 
old  friends  from  Norfolk  and  Richmond.  On  Thurs- 
day night  he  preached  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gibson  and 
on  Friday  for  Rev.  Mr.  Piatt,  rector  of  St.  Paul's. 
His  friends  urged  him  to  remain  over  Sunday  and 

preach  for  them,  and  Drs.   M and  P wished 

him  to  occupy  their  pulpits  in  Richmond.  He  re- 
turned joyfully  to  his  home  to  continue  his  work.  In 
a  journal   letter  of  June  27th    he  says  :   "  I  went  to 


CALL   TO   NEW   YORK.  11/ 

visit  a  man  at  the  infirmary,  who  was  wounded  in  the 
riot  on  the  ist  of  June,  and  cannot  recover;  he  was 
one  of  the  rioters,  and  was  shot  by  the  marines.  He 
is  very  hardened,  and  received  me  very  coldly.  I 
pointed  him  to  the  Saviour,  and  prayed  with  him, 
and  will  see  him  again. 

At  this  time  he  received  the  following  letter  from 
President  Maclean,  of  Princeton  College  : 

"College  of  New  Jersey,  Princeton,  July  20,  1857. 
"  My  Dear  Sir  :  You  have  probably  learned  before  this 
that  at  the  last  annual  commencement  of  our  College,  the 
Trustees  conferred  upon  you  the  degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity. 
The  object  of  this  note  is  to  give  you  official  information  of 
the  fact,  to  do  which,  I  assure  you,  gives  me  sincere  pleasure. 
"  Most  respectfully  yours, 

"John  Maclean,  President  of  t/ie  College. 

"Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins." 

He  writes  thus  in  his  own  bright  way  : 

"  I  am  congratulated  on  every  hand  on  my  new  honors  ! 
Most  persons  seem  to  think  it  is  a  very  great  compliment, 
coming  from  so  eminent  a  College  as  Princeton.  I  pray  that 
it  may  only  make  me  more  humble  and  more  zealous  in  my 
Master's  work.  I  feel  so  deeply,  in  view  of  all  my  mercies, 
as  did  John  Howard — '  Lord  God,  Why  me  ?  '  I  am  trying 
to  turn  this  sad  season  of  separation  from  my  family  into  a 
period  of  spiritual  profit  to  my  soul.  I  have  much  time  for 
meditation,  for  Bible  reading,  and  for  prayer.  I  need  not 
say  how  constantly  I  pray  for  you  and  our  precious  children, 
for  your  restoration  to  health,  and  for  your  soul's  welfare. 
Tell  sweet  Georgie  I  use  /it's  Bible  when  I  am  upstairs.  God 
bless  and  keep  you." 


Il8  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

From  one  of  his  letters,  dated  July  6th,  we  take 
the  following  account  of  how  he  passed  his  Sundays 
at  this  time  : 

"Yesterday  (Sunday)  I  rose  at  5.30,  and  had  service  at 
6.30.  Went  at  10  o'clock  to  the  Sunday-school,  and  closed 
it  ;  it  is  very  large  for  summer.  At  1 1  read  the  service  and 
preached  on  the  Sympathy  of  Jesus,  Heb.  4  :  15,  and  ad- 
ministered the  Communion  to  a  large  number  of  communi- 
cants ;  the  service  lasted  until  nearly  2  o'clock.  Dined  at 
Mr.  Coxe's.    After    dinner  read    my  sermon  to,  and  prayed 

with,  Mrs.  C ,  who  is  in  deep  affliction.     Returned  home 

at  3  o'clock,  and  after  4  drove  to  the  chapel  and  found  a  fine 
school,  and  thence  to  the  Colored  Sunday-school,  and  found 
it  also  very  large.     Returned  home  at  5.30,  and  read  until  6, 

when  Mr.  T and  his  brother  came  in  and  remained  until 

7.     At  8  we  had  service,  and  I  preached  from  the  text,  '  This 

one  thing  I  do,'  Phil.  3  :  14.     Dr.  P ,  from  Bladensburg, 

with  several  gentlemen,  were  in." 

In  this  month  he  again  visited  the  Theological 
Seminary  during  ordination  week,  and  presented  Rev. 
Thomas  Duncan  for  presbyter's  orders.  He  was  the 
guest  of  Rev.  Dr.  McGuire,  but  saw  many  of  the 
brethren,  and  dined  at  Bishop  Johns',  enjoying  his 
delightful  home.  The  middle  of  July  he  left  Wash- 
ington for  Virginia,  where  he  passed  six  weeks  with 
his  relatives  and  family.  During  this  vacation  Dr. 
Cummins  wrote  the  memoir  of  Mrs.  Hoffman,  which 
was  published  that  autumn  by  Lindsay  &  Blakiston, 
Philadelphia,  and  republished  in  England,  with  a  pre- 
face, by  the  Rev.  A.  M.  W.  Christopher. 

The  winter  of  1857-58  was  passed  in  the  usual  rou- 
tine of  duty.  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Johns  were  their 
guests  during  the  winter,   and   Bishop   Meade  also. 


CALL    TO  NEW  YORK.  HQ 


Bishop  Scott,  of  Oregon,  and  other  dear  friends,  came 
to  brighten  their  home. 

In  the  autumn  of  1857  Dr.  Cummins  delivered  a 
lecture  before  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
of  Washington  on  "Modern  Phases  of  InfideHty." 
It  was  pubhshed  for  circulation,  as  it  was  thought  to 
be  a  clear  and  forceful  presentation  of  the  various 
forms  of  unbelief  which  then,  as  now,  are  so  potent 
for  evil. 

In  a  letter  written  in  October,  1857,  Dr.  Cum- 
mins speaks  thus  of  his  work  : 

"  I  preached  in  the  morning  from  Psalm  119  :  54,  on  the 
Bible.  I  have  rarely  preached  to  a  more  interested  audience  : 
many  were  deeply  affected.  I  took  up  a  collection  for  the 
support  of  our  Home  Mission  and  school.  I  told  the  con- 
gregation of  the  work  we  were  doing,  and  its  cost,  viz.: 
Preaching  every  Sunday  morning  in  the  Free  Chapel,  a  Sun- 
day-school of  200  scholars — and  some  of  these  under  serious 
impressions — and  a  day-school  of  seventy  children  :  the  cost 
is  a  thousand  dollars  for  maintaining  them.  I  took  up  a 
large  collection.  I  told  them  this  work  gave  me  greater  de- 
light than  the  work  in  Trinity  Church.  In  the  afternoon  I 
visited  the  Colored  Sunday-school,  and  at  night  preached  to  a 
dense  crowd  concerning  the  fearful  disaster  of  the  '  Central 
America  ;'  it  fills  all  thoughts  here.  Five  hundred  and  thirty- 
one  souls  lost  in  one  terrible  catastrophe  !  Lieut.  Herndon 
was  the  commander,  and  was  also  lost.     He  was  a  brother  of 

Mrs.  Com.  M ,  one  of  our  congregation.     It  will  remain 

a  lasting  monument  to  his  memory  that  he  preserved  such 
perfect  discipline  to  the  last  as  to  transfer  all  the  women  and 
children  to  another  ship,  and  kept  the  crew  from  acting  as 
the  crew  of  the  Arctic  did.  Poor  fellow  !  You  saw  in 
Harper^ s  Magazine  a  sketch  of  his  work,  '  The  Exploration 
of  the  River  Amazon. '  " 


I20  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


In  another  letter  Dr.  Cummins  speaks  of  a  visit 
to  Bishop  Johns  at  his  beautiful  home,  "  Malvern  :" 

"  I  left  for  a  little  visit  at  2.30,  but  did  not  reach  the  house 

until  5  o'clock.     The  Bishop  and   Mrs.  J were  delighted 

to  welcome  me.  Mrs.  J is  just  the  same  sweet,  affec- 
tionate friend  as  ever — the  Mrs.  S of  our  earlier  Norfolk 

days.  We  had  long  talks  of  old  friends  in  Norfolk,  of  you 
and  the  children.  The  house  is  a  gem,  and  the  grounds  are 
lovely.  The  Bishop  had  many  talks  with  me.  It  rained 
so  hard  that  I  did  not  get  to  the  Seminary,  hut  Dr.  Sparrow 
came  over  and  stayed  for  two  hours.  The  Bishop  and  Mrs. 
J promise  us  a  visit  in  December  ;  he  will  give  me  a  Sun- 
day.    I  know  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  this.     To-morrow  I  go 

to  visit  Rev.  Mr.  D in  Virginia.     He  wrote  urging  me  to 

preach  for  him,  as  Bishop  Meade  is  to  confirm  for  him  on 
Friday  morning.  I  at  first  thought  I  could  not  go,  but  on 
reflection  consented.  I  send  you  a  paper  from  Edinburgh, 
edited  by  Bayne,  formerly  edited  by  Hugh  Miller.  I  want 
you  to  read  Bayne's  article  on  'Charlotte  Bronte,'  it  is  the 
richest  writing  I  have  met  with  for  many  days.  How  sweet 
to  feel  that  God's  will  is  always  the  best.  I  trust  He  is  draw- 
ing me  closer  to  Him.     May  He  bless  and  keep  you  ever." 

Dr.  Cummins  tells  of  his  visit  to  Fauquier  County 
in  a  letter  written  the  same  autumn  : 

"  Thursday  morning   at  six  o'clock  I  left  for  Fauquier. 
At  one  of  the  stations  Bishop  Meade  joined  me.     At  10.30 

we  reached  Markham  Station,  and  found  Mr.  D waiting 

for  us.     We  drove  to  Dr.  S 's   and  lunched,   and   then 

went  to  the  church.     There  was  a  good  congregation,  and  I 

preached.     After  service  we  drove  to  Major  A 's,  where 

we  dined.     In  the  afternoon  we  drove  to  Mr.  D 's  house. 

It  is  a  very  sweet  little  home — everything  in  such  good  taste. 
I  can  convey  to  you  no  idea  of  the  scenery  ;  it  is  truly  wild 


CALL    TO  NEW  YORK.  121 

and  romantic,  far  more  so  than  that  of  Jefferson  County. 
Friday  morning  we  drove  to  the  church,  and  I  preached 
again  ;  and  Bishop  Meade  confirmed  one  gentleman.  We 
all  went  to  dine  with  a  son  of  the  late  Chief  Justice  Marshall. 
There  were  only  about  forty  persons  in  all — a  regular  Vir- 
ginia gathering !  I  saw  there  a  diary  of  Gen.  Washington, 
kept  while  he  lived  in  New  York  during  the  first  period  of 
his  Presidency,  and  read  his  account  of  his  visit  here  when 
he  came  to  lay  out  the  District  of  Columbia.  It  is  a  precious 
MS.,  and  is  worth  no  little  money.  It  was  left  among  the 
papers  of  Judge  Marshall.  I  returned  home  Saturday  to  be 
ready  for  my  Sunday  duties.  Preached  morning  and  night 
in  Trinity,  and  visited  our  schools — four  in  all — containing 
six  hundred  scholars.  The  chapel  also  was  filled  with  a 
large  congregation.     To-morrow  I  have  two  funerals.     Poor 

E.   B shot  himself  while  gunning.     I  visited  him  twice. 

His  parents  were  at  Mr.  L 's  at  the  time.     The  other 

funeral  is  the  infant  of  a  clergyman  and  his  wife  from  Missis- 
sippi.   They  are  in  deep  affliction.   I  am  truly  grieved  to  hear 

of  darling  G 's  illness.    I  have  seen  so  much  sorrow  and 

affliction  round  me  lately  that  I  rejoice  with  trembling  over 
God's  blessings  to  me.  May  He  give  me  to  feel  more  and 
more  deeply  that  He  is  drawing  me  nearer  to  Him  by  joy  and 
sorrow  and  ail  His  dealings  with  us." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OTHER  SOULS  TO  WIN — CALL  TO   BALTIMORE. 

"  Cause  me  to  know  the  way  wherein  I  should  walk." — Psalm  143  :  8. 

Aged  36. 

WE  approach  another  period  in  the  life  of  Dr. 
Cummins  most  painful  to  him.  He  always  re- 
gretted deeply  receiving  a  call  to  another  church.  It 
was  ever  a  time  of  severe  trial  to  one  so  conscientious. 
In  all  his  parishes — Norfolk,  Richmond,  and  Wash- 
ington—his warmest  affections  went  out  to  his  beloved 
people  ;  and  most  fully  did  they  respond  to  this  love. 
The  question  of  leaving  them  was  necessarily  one 
which  caused  him  great  pain.  Heretofore  he  had 
been  largely  influenced  by  the  advice  of  older  and 
more  experienced  friends  in  the  ministry.  And  now 
he  was  called  to  decide  whether  he  should  again 
strike  his  tent,  and,  leaving  his  dearly-loved  congre- 
gation in  Washington,  take  up  the  work  of  his  Master 
in  another  field.  Like  Dr.  Chalmers,  it  was  his  cus- 
tom at  such  times  to  write  to  those  among  his  friends 
in  whose  judgment  he  had  the  greatest  confidence, 
placing  before  them  in  the  fullest  manner  the  reasons 
for  or  against  his  going,  and  asking  their  prayers  and 
brotherly  counsel.  When  these  replies  reached  him 
he  read  them  again  and  again,  and  then  with  the 
most  earnest  and  persistent  prayer  asked  for  heavenly 
guidance.     We  well  know  what  these  seasons  of  trial 


OTHER  SOULS  TO   WIN— CALL  TO  BALTIMORE.    123 

were  to  Dr.  Cummins.  The  one  thought  of  his  mind 
was,  Will  the  cause  of  my  Master  be  served  best  by 
my  going  or  remaining  ?  The  question  of  any  per- 
sonal advantage  or  influence  never  seemed  to  enter 
his  mind  ;  if  it  did,  no  human  being  ever  heard  or  knew 
of  it.  On  the  ist  June,  1858,  Dr.  Cummins  received 
the  following  letter.  It  came  at  a  time  when  the 
shadow  of  a  heavy  trial  still  lingered  about  his  home. 
On  the  5th  March,  1858,  a  little  daughter  was  born. 
His  wife  continued  extremely  ill  during  the  months 
of  March  and  April,  and  through  May  was  still  a 
great  invalid.  It  was  when  pressed  down  by  this 
affliction  that  he  was  called  upon  to  decide  a  matter 
of  deep  importance  : 

"  Vestry  Room,  St.  Peter's  Church,     } 
"Baltimore,  June  i,  1858.  f 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  It  has  been  made  my  pleasant 

duty  to  inform  you  that  at  a  full  meeting  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Peter's 

P.  E.  Church,  held  this  evening,  you  were  loianimo^isly  elected 

rector  of  said  church,  and  I  am  further  directed  to  urge  upon 

you  an  early  acceptance  of  this  call. 

"  With  the  greatest  respect,  yours  truly, 

"  Lawrence  Thomson,  Register. 

"  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

This  letter  reached  him  when  his  heart  was  filled 
with  gratitude  to  his  beloved  people  for  their  un- 
wearied kindness,  manifested  in  every  imaginable 
way,  towards  himself  and  family  during  the  long  and 
dangerous  illness  of  his  wife.  Each  hour  brought 
some  evidence  of  this  thoughtful  care  for  their  pastor 
in  his  time  of  affliction,  and  the  thought  of  leaving 
them  was  at  first  too  painful  to  be  entertained.  His 
first  and  very  decided  judgment  was  to  decline  this 


124  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

call.  So  far  as  his  influence  went,  and  the  felt  blessing 
of  God  rested  on  his  labors,  there  was  no  need  to 
leave  Washington — on  the  contrary,  every  evidence 
that  he  should  remain,  and  for  a  time  this  was  his 
decision.  But  a  visit  from  his  dear  friend  Dr.  Johns, 
of  Baltimore,  and  an  urgent  letter  received  from  him 
later,  caused  him  to  weigh  the  matter  more  thought- 
fully before  sending  his  final  answer.  We  quote  from 
Dr.  Johns'  letter  : 

"  The  anxiety  on  the  part   of  St.  Peter's  *  Committee '  in 

reference  to  yourself  seems  to  increase.     Mr.  W and  Mr. 

B came  to  see  me  to-day,  and  are  hardly  able  to  restrain 

their  anxiety  to  secure  your  services.  I  have  revolved  this 
question  of  your  removal  to  Baltimore  over  and  over,  and  the 
more  I  think  of  it  the  more  am  I  convinced  you  will  act  wisely 
in  coming.  I  really  think  you  could  not  have  a  finer  oppor- 
tunity to  serve  the  great  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  than 
is  now  presented.  '  Such  occasions  can  not  often  occur  in  life.' 
The  Lord  aid  you  in  the  decision  of  this  grave  question,  and 
incline  your  heart  to  wise  results. 

"  I  shall  look  upon  your  acceptance  of  this  call  as  a  most 
happy  relief  to  myself,  as  I  shall  have  in  you  a  friend  in  and 
with  whom  I  can  take  counsel  in  matters  on  which  I  often  want 
a  known  and  true  brother.  There  never  was  a  more  auspicious 
time  for  work — work  with  and  for  the  Gospel.  Do  come  and 
labor  with  us.  I  do  not  think  you  will  ever  regret  coming  to 
our  city." 

This  letter  was  followed  by  a  number  from  the 
members  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  from 
which  we  quote  : 

"  Baltimore,  June  8th. 

'•-My  Dear  Doctor  :  I  have  just  read  in  the  Intelligencer  of 
yesterday  your  letter  in  reply  to  the  criticisms  of  the  National 


OTHER  SOULS  TO  WIN— CALL  TO  BALTIMORE.    12$ 


Era  upon  your  sermon  on  the  character  of  Rev.  Mr.  T , 

and  beg  leave  to  ofifer  my  congratulations.  It  is  to  my  mind  a 
clear  and  convincing  defence  of  your  position,  and  a  just  state- 
ment of  that  of  our  church  with  regard  to  all  such  questions. 
I  am  gratified  in  being  able  to  say  that  such  of  your  friends  here 
who  have  seen  the  letter  are  delighted  with  its  sentiment  and 
tone.  At  the  present  moment  I  can  not  doubt  but  that  it  will 
be  pleasing  for  you  to  know  this,  and  also  that  your  election 
has  met  the  cordial  approval  of  the  people  of  St.  Peter's,  as  in- 
deed of  all  our  friends.  They  unite,  without  an  exception,  in 
the  fervent  hope  that  God  may,  in  mercy  to  us,  guide  you  to  an 
acceptance  of  our  call.  The  Committee  has  everywhere  been 
congratulated  and  commended  for  what  we  have  done.  As  an 
illustration,  I  yesterday  and  this  morning  met  with  four  old 
men  who  have  been  members  of  St.  Peter's,  respectively,  from 
forty  to  fifty-four  years — 1804 — 18 13 — 1818 — and  in  all  that 
time  have  been  regular  worshippers  there,  and  have  known  and 
taken  part  in  all  its  history.  Their  expressions  of  approval, 
gratification,  and  hope  were  very  earnest,  tender,  and  touching. 
I  believe  I  have  given  you  true  and  faithful  testimony,  and  did 
time  admit  could  add  much  more. 

"  With  my  best  wishes,  I  am.  Reverend  and  dear  Doctor, 

faithfully,  etc.,  "  R.  T.  B 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins,  Washington." 

Another  venerable  and  well-beloved  vestryman 
writes  : 

"  Baltimore,  June  10,  1858. 

"  My  Dear  Doctor  :  The  times  and  the  church  are  ready 
for  sound  and  clear  evangelical  teaching,  and  had  we  the  men  of 
the  right  stamp,  more  pulpits  than  St.  Peter's  would  be  open  to 
them.  I  was  truly  gratified  by  the  unanimity  of  the  vestry  in 
your  election,  and  at  the  growing  anxiety  to  hear  of  your  ac- 
ceptance. I  will  pray  that  God  will  mercifully  open  your  way 
clearly,  that  you  may  speedily  see  it  your  duty  to  come,  and  by 


126  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

His  blessing  and  grace  revive  this  glorious  old  sanctuary,  and 
that  we  may  all  say  '  that  the  glory  of  this  latter  house  is  greater 
than  the  former.' 

"  With  great  respect,  yours  obediently, 

"W.  W.  " 

Also  from  a  brother  clergyman's  letter  we  quote  : 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  Should  your  views  of  duty 
lead  you  to  decline  the  call  of  St.  Peter's  vestry,  I  really  do  not 
know  what  will  become  of  the  church.  So  much  satisfaction 
has  been  expressed  at  the  call  given  to  you,  and  so  many  happy 
hopes  are  entertained  of  a  joyful  future  for  the  old  church,  that 
your  declinature  would  cast  deep  gloom  upon  the  best  people, 
and  make  many  of  them,  I  fear,  give  up  in  despair.  I  am  sure 
you  must  be  much  perplexed  when  the  friends  of  St.  Peter's  on 
the  one  hand,  and  your  own  congregation  on  the  other,  are 
pressing  their  respective  claims  upon  your  consideration.  I 
pray  that  you  may  be  guided  to  a  correct  decision,  and  one 
which  will  make  for  your  own  happiness  and  usefulness  for  the 
period  during  which  God  may  employ  you  in  His  service. 

"  We  all  hope  and  trust  that  your  path  will  be  cleared  of  all 
obstacles,  and  that  it  will  not  be  very  long  before  the  joy  of  all 
hearts  in  St.  Peter's,  and  many  anxious  ones  out  of  it,  will  be 
quickened  by  the  intelligence  that  you  are  the  rector  and  that 
it  is  again  sailing  under  its  old  true  colors." 

In  another  letter,  written  by  a  member  of  the 
vestry,  he  says  : 

"  To  my  mind  there  appears  to  be  a  clear  indication  of 
Providence,  and  a  wide  and  effectual  door  has  been  opened  to 
you — one  which  seems  to  me  and  many  here  as  seldom  offered 
to  any  one.  The  minds  of  many  of  us  will  continue  to  be 
agitated  until  your  acceptance  is  announced ;  if  otherwise,  I 
shall  esteem  it  a  calamity.     It  would  leave  our  friends  in  St. 


OTHER  SOULS  TO  WIN— CALL   TO  BALTIMORE.    12/ 

Peter's,  humanely  speaking,  in  a  deplorable  condition.  From 
the  urgency  used  you  have  a  right  to  infer  that  a  high  estimate 
has  been  placed  upon  your  pecuUar  fitness  for  this  position ;  it 
is  so,  and  every  indication  seems  to  point  this  way.  The  anxiety 
is  great  to  hear  from  you.  The  inquiry  is  frequently  and  again 
repeated,  '  What  is  the  news  from  Dr.  Cummins  ? '  Let  our 
friends  have  a  speedy  affirmative  reply.  It  will  lighten  many 
hearts.  May  the  good  God  guide  and  direct  you  in  your  de- 
cision." 

On  the  15th  June  another  member  of  the  vestry 
visited  Dr.  Cummins  at  his  home  in  Washington.  On 
his  return  to  Baltimore  he  wrote  to  Dr.  C as  fol- 
lows : 

''  I  can  well  understand  the  extent  and  nature  of  the  struggle 
through  which  you  are  called  to  pass  in  deciding  this  deeply  im- 
portant matter.  The  minds  of  our  people  are  prepared  to  hail 
your  coming  as  an  event  to  be  prayed  for,  and  to  give  devout 
thanks  to  God  for.  Should  you  decline,  they  will  give  up  all 
hope  of  any  great  work  being  accomplished." 

Another  vestryman  writes  : 

"  God  grant  you  may  see  your  way  clear  to  come  to  us." 

We  quote  from  a  letter  written  by  a  valued  friend, 
and  prominent  member  of  St.  Peter's  : 

"Baltimore,  July  3,  1858. 
"  My  Dear  Doctor  :  I  have  just  seen  your  letter  of  the  ist 

inst.,  addressed  to  our  mutual  friends .     I  sympathize  with 

you  in  your  present  struggle.  Permit  me  to  say  that  while  I  am 
personally  extremely  anxious  to  hear  of  your  positive  acceptance 
of  our  call,  yet  knowing  what  I  do — all  the  attending  circum- 
stances— your  very  difficulties,  allow  me  to  say,  make  me  feel 
more  and  more  anxious  that  you  should  come  to  us,  as  we  feel 


126  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

more  ardently  attached  to  one  whose  conscientious  mental 
struggles  to  find  the  path  of  duty  is  so  acute  as  yours.  I  pray 
God  to  direct  you  aright  in  this,  to  us,  momentous  subject. 
Many  hearts  are  rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  your  coming.  Your 
church  views  are  well  known,  but  you  are  not  looked  upon  as 

an  ultra  person.     Dr.  D •  reports  that  your  friends  at  the 

Seminary  approve  your  removal  to  Baltimore,  and  Dr.  N 

said  decidedly  '  you  were  the  man  for  the  place.' " 

At  this  time  Dr.  Cummins  sent  a  communication 
to  his  vestry,  laying  before  them  the  urgent  invitation 
to  go  to  Baltimore,  the  reasons  for  his  acceptance  (in 
the  minds  of  his  friends),  and  his  own  uncertainty  as 
to  what  was  his  duty.  To  this  the  vestry  of  Trinity 
Church  could  only  reply  by  expressing  their  deep 
sorrow  that  any  such  question  should  have  arisen,  and 
expressing  the  hope  that  their  beloved  pastor  would 
remain  with  them. 

St.  Paul's  was  \\\q  first  P.  E.  church  in  Baltimore. 
St.  Peter's  was  the  next  organized  in  that  city.  Bishop 
Henshaw,  of  Rhode  Island,  was  the  rector  for  many 
years,  followed  on  his  election  to  the  Episcopate  by 
Dr.  Atkinson,  now  Bishop  of  North  Carolina.  Dr. 
Atkinson  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Morrison, 
whose  pastorate  extended  over  only  a  few  years. 
The  old  church  suffered  much  from  these  changes, 
and  the  tide  of  population  gradually  rolled  further  and 
further  up  town,  and  as  churches  arose  in  the  newer 
portions  of  the  city  the  old  parishes  felt  it.  Their 
prosperous  days  seemed  to  have  fled.  It  was  to  re- 
suscitate this  dear  old  church — where  so  many  had 
been  brought  to  know  Jesus — that  Dr.  Cummins'  ear- 
nest labors  and  his  large  pulpit  ability  were  needed. 
To  urge  the  importance  of  this  great  work  was  the 


OTHER  SOULS  TO  WIN— CALL  TO  BALTIMORE.     1 29 

object  of  those  friends  who  knew  the  man  they  sought. 
It  would  be  impossible  and  unwise  to  quote  from  all 
the  letters  which  lie  before  us.  From  a  few  we  have 
already  given  extracts.  They  are  all  alike  in  their 
earnest  appeals  to  the  man  of  their  choice. 

About  the  middle  of  June,  and  as  soon  as  Mrs. 
Cummins  could  travel,  they  went  to  make  a  little 
visit  to  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Johns.  From  there  they 
passed  to  the  Rockbridge  Alum  Springs  in  Virginia, 
where  they  remained  some  time,  but  finding  that  Mrs. 
Cummins  was  not  benefited  by  the  mountain  air,  they 
left  the  Springs  for  her  father's  home  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty. On  the  6th  Jul}-  Dr.  Cummins  sent  his  acceptance 
of  the  call  to  St.  Peter's  Church,  Baltimore,  and  at 
the  same  time  wrote  the  following  note  to  his  father- 
in-law  : 

"  Friday  Evening,  July  6,  1858. 
"  My  Dear  Father  :  I  have  passed  through  a  severe 
struggle,  more  severe  than  ever  I  have  had  in  my  life ;  but  it  is 
over  now.  Surely  it  must  be  of  God,  for  it  has  been  in  opposi- 
tion to  feeling  and  inclination  at  every  step.  The  zvork  alo7ie 
is  my  great  motive — an  opening  such  as  I  believe  may  never 
occur  again  for  the  evangelical  cause  in  our  church.  We  look 
forward  with  joy  to  spending  the  month  of  August  with  you. 
"  Your  affectionate  son, 

"  Geo.  D.  Cummins." 

They  reached  the  home  of  Judge  Balch  before 
August,  and  it  was  while  there  Dr.  Cummins  received 
many  letters  of  congratulation  and  delight  on  learn- 
ing of  his  acceptance  of  the  rectorship  of  St.  Peter's. 
From  one  of  these  letters,  written  by  a  friend  and 
member  of  the  Committee,  we  quote  the  following  : 


130  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  Our  hearts  are  filled  with  thankfulness,  our  mouths  with 
songs  of  praise  to  our  God  and  Heavenly  Father  for  this  His 
great  goodness  to  us  and  our  dear  old  church!  To  our  thanks 
we  join  our  prayers  that  His  grace  and  heavenly  benediction 
may  be  abundantly  poured  out  upon  you." 

Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  Dr.  Cummins'  ac- 
ceptance a  committee  was  appointed  to  superintend 
extensive  repairs  and  improvements  in  the  old  church 
and  rectory.  For  this  purpose  it  was  closed  until 
the  first  Sunday  in  September,  the  time  fixed  upon 
by  Dr.  Cummins  for  entering  upon  his  duties.  An 
endowed  Parish  School  and  Orphan  Asylum  are  at- 
tached to  St.  Peter's.  It  was  the  wish  of  the  con- 
gregation and  vestry  to  build  a  new  church  further 
up  town  ;  this  was  accomplished  after  the  war  ended, 
under  the  rectorship  of  Rev.  Julius  Grammar,  D.D. 
The  property  was  valuable  for  business  purposes,  the 
sale  of  which  would  enable  the  vestry  to  erect  a  new 
edifice.  This,  however,  was  not  agitated  until  Dr.  Cum- 
mins had  been  the  rector  of  St.  Peter's  some  years. 

In  a  letter  dated  July  9th,  a  friend  writes  : 

"  I  observe  the  papers  of  yesterday  announced  your  accept- 
ance.    T writes  me,  '  I  wish  you  were  in  town  to  hear  the 

congratulations ! '    Everybody  is  delighted.    E.  S.  C was  at 

my  house  last  night,  and  says  '  We  inust  go  ahead  now.' " 

The  following  letter  was  received  at  this  time. 

"Washington  City,  July  9,  1858. 
"  Mv  Dear  Sir  :  As  the  senior  vestryman  of  Trinity 
Church,  and  chairman  of  a  meeting  of  the  wardens  and  vestry 
held  yesterday  afternoon,  I  have  been  directed  to  acknowledge 
the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  6th  inst.  resigning  the  rector- 
ship of  the  church,  and  to  say  that  the  resignation  is  accepted, 


OTHER  SOULS  TO  WIN— CALL   TO  BALTIMORE.    13I 

to  take  eftect  on  the  first  of  the  present  month,  as  proposed  by 
you. 

"  In  thus  severing  the  connection  between  pastor  and  people, 
which  has  pleasantly  and  profitably  existed  for  three  years  and 
a  half,  the  vestry  cannot  suffer  the  occasion  to  pass  without 
expressing  their  high  appreciation  of  the  zeal  and  fidelity  which 
have  distinguished  your  labors  among  us,  and  their  regret 
that  you  have  felt  compelled  to  transfer  these  efforts  in  the 
cause  of  Christ  and  the  Church  to  another  field  of  duty.  We 
believe  that  in  these  expressions  of  regard,  and  admiration  for 
ministerial  care,  exertion,  and  success — seldom  equalled — we  do 
but  reflect  the  sentiments  of  the  whole  congregation,  and  that 
in  your  new  home,  and  in  the  discharge  of  duty  to  another 
people,  you  will  be  followed  by  the  united  prayers  and  sincerest 
wishes  for  tlie  prosperity  and  happiness  of  yourself  and  family, 
of  all  those  whom  you  leave  behind. 

"  In  behalf  of  my  associates  in  the  temporal  government  of 
the  church,  and  individually, 

"  I  remain,  very  affectionately  and  respectfully, 
"  Your  friend  and  brother, 

"  E.  L.  Childs. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

In  the  carl}'  part  of  this  year  Dr.  Cummins  visited 
Sm3'rna,  Delaware,  for  a  short  time.  He  writes 
thus  : 

**  This  morning  I  walked  out  to  see  the  town,  and  identified 
some  of  the  houses  and  places  connected  with  my  boyhood ; 
but  oh,  how  different  they  look  now !  and  how  strange  to  me 
to  think  of  all  my  life  since  I  left  here  as  a  boy  of  eleven  years 
old !  How  strangely  has  God  led  me  on,  and  into  what  an 
eventful  life !  May  my  life  to  come  be  more  consecrated  to 
Him,  more  holy,  and  more  useful.  I  preach  for  them  Sunday 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church.     The  Episcopal  Church  is  closed 


132  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

for  repairs.     Have  Mr.  G announce  the  lecture,  Bible-class, 

and  quarterly  collection  for  missions  for  next  Sunday." 

We  think  it  best  to  insert  here  two  letters  received 
about  this  time  by  Dr.  Cummins,  as  they  belong  prop- 
erly to  his  life  in  Washington,  though  one  reached 
him  after  he  settled  in  Baltimore.  The  first  is  from 
Bishop  Meade,  and  is  dated — 

"Millwood,  Va.,  March  21,  1858. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Brother:  Although  it  is  two 
months  since  I  received  your  life  of  the  dear  departed  saint 
Mrs.  Hoffman,  I  have  just  been  privileged  to  hear  it  read  in 
our  family  at  night,  for  I  cannot  read  at  night — acid  that  is  the 
time  for  such  reading — my  few  hours  of  ability  for  study  in  the 
day  being  completely  occupied  with  something  I  am  preparing 
for  the  press. 

"  I  cannot  allow  an  hour  to  pass  by  after  the  reading  is 
over — although  it  is  painful  to  my  eyes  even  to  write — without 
thanking  you  most  heartily  for  the  pleasure,  and  I  hope  profit, 
you  have  afforded  me  by  this  book.  I  trust  it  will  increase  the 
love  of  Christ  in  every  heart,  and  especially  direct  it  into  a  mis- 
sionary channel.  God  has  enabled  you  to  execute  your  task  in 
the  very  best  manner.  One  of  my  family  has  read  it  three 
times. 

"  I  rejoice  to  read  and  hear  of  your  labors,  and  trust  that 
they  will  be  abundantly  blessed.  Our  Convention  is  drawing 
near,  and  I  hope  we  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you 
there.     My  eyes  are  aching,  and  I  must  conclude.     My  love  to 

Mrs.  C and  the  children. 

"  Yours  most  truly  in  Clirist, 

"W.  Meade," 

The  next  is  from  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Hoffman,  and  is 
dated 


OTHER  SOULS  TO  WliV—CALL   TO  BALTIMORE.    1 33 


"Orphan  Asylum,  Cape  Palmas,  ) 

"  VV.  Africa,  August  9, ) 

"  My  Dear  Brother  :  I  have  received  the  memoir  you 
sent,  and  have  read  it  with  deepest  interest.  I  thank  you  for 
your  judicious  selection  of  letters  and  journal,  and  for  portray- 
ing so  faithfully  the  character  of  one  so  deeply  loved,  and 
whose  memory  I  so  sacredly  cherish.  I  notice  also  the  token  of 
brotherly  love,  as  well  as  the  beautiful  reference  to  the  'Sainted 
One '  in  your  dedication.  I  may  thank  you  for  this  work  in  my 
own  behalf — a  precious  memorial  of  the  departed.  I  would 
thank  you  in  the  name  of  our  mission  for  the  bright  example 
you  have  set  before  us  in  bringing  again  to  view  the  patient 
and  joyous  laborer;  and  surely  I  think  I  may  say,  without  my 
being  considered  partial,  that  the  Lord's  people  thank  you  for 
bringing  to  view  the  wondrous  grace  of  God  manifested  in  the 
life  and  character  of  our  absent  one.  Absent  only.,  for  she  lives 
now,  clothed  in  immortaUty,  for  ever  with  the  Lord.  I  cannot 
write  further,  for  strength  and  time  forbid.  Express  my  thanks  to 
Mr.  W for  his  kind  letter,  and  to  the  children  of  the  Sunday- 
school  for  their  gift  for  St.  Mark's ;  it  came  in  good  time,  and  I 
have  been  encouraged  thereby.     They  shall  hear  from  me. 

"  Our  Christian  love  to  Mrs.  C ,  and  kind  remembrance 

to  your  little  ones,  and  believe  me,  dear  brother, 

"  Faithfully  yours, 

"C.  C.  Hoffman." 

In  August  Dr.  Cummins  left  Virginia  and  returned 
for  a  time  to  Washington.  In  a  letter  dated  Wash- 
ington, August  22d,  1858,  he  writes  : 

"  This  visit  to  Washington  and  the  services  on  Sunday 
have    been    among   the    most    trying   ordeals   in    my    whole 

life.     My  journey  was  a  hot  and  dusty  one.     Good  Mr.  L 

was  at  the  station,  with  Holly  and  the  carriage,  Holly  looking 
nobler  than  ever.  Our  home  looked  so  lovely  I  felt  deep  regret 
at  having  to  give  it  up!    Everything  was  in  perfect  order.    Rev. 


134  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

Mr.  Rambo,  of  the  African  Mission,  was  here.    Rev.  Mr.  K 

came  in,  and  brought  letters  from  Mr.  W and  Mr.  B 

in  Baltimore.     I  am  going  to  advocate  the  election  of  the  Rev. 

Mr.  P for  Trinity.     Joseph  B called  in  for  a  moment 

in  the  evening.  At  night  I  could  not  sleep ;  my  thoughts  were 
too  busy,  and  all  the  scenes  connected  with  this  room  came  so 
vividly  back  to  me.  I  felt  most  deeply  God's  mercies  to  us, 
and  pray  that  he  may  roll  away  from  us  the  cloud  now  hanging 
over  our  home  circle,  though  it  is  doubtless  'big  with  mercy, 
and  shall  break  in  blessings  on  our  heads.'  At  lo  o'clock  Sun- 
day I  went  to  the  Sunday-school,  and  then  to  church,  and 
preached  from  Haggai  2  :  7.  The  congregation  was  very  large. 
After  service  many  remained  to  speak  to  me,  and  all  were  very 
kind  and  affectionate.  Every  one  inquired  most  anxiously 
about  you,  and  expressed  great  regret  at  your  continued  illness. 
On  Sunday  night  I  preached  to  a  crowded  audience  on 
Christian  Unity.  M was  present,  and  said  it  was  a  com- 
plete answer  to  C in  the  Intelligencer.     I  am  now  going 

to  visit  some  families  in  affliction." 

In  another  letter  he  says  : 

"I   have  been  very  much    impressed  with   the   kind   and 
cordial  greeting  and  manner  of  the  people  towards  me,  and  am 

very  thankful  to  find  it  so.    Joseph  B spent  an  hour  with 

me  this  evening.     He  told  me  that   Mr.  B of  Baltimore 

had  an  interview  of  two  hours  with  him  when  the  former  came 

to  Washington.     He  was  much  impressed  with  Mr.  B ,  and 

on  his  leaving  he  said  :  '  We  have  a  praying  circle  in  Baltimore. 
We  have  prayed  for  this,  and  we  beUeve  he  will  come.'  Does 
not  this  explain  the  way  by  which  I  have  been  led  to  the 
decision." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

LABOR   IN   A   NEW    FIELD. 

"  Send  us  vvhere'r  thou  wilt,  O  Lord  ! 

Through  rugged  toil  and  wearying  flight, 
Thy  conquering  love  shall  be  our  sword, 
And  faith  in  thee  our  truest  might. 

"  Send  down  thy  constant  aid,  we  pray; 
Be  thy  pure  angels  with  us  still. 
Thy  truth,  be  that  our  firmest  stay — 
Our  only  rest  to  do  thy  wiliy 

Aged  36. 

ON  the  first  Sunday  in  September,  1858,  Dr.  Cum- 
mins commenced  his  work  in  Baltimore,  and 
filled  his  pulpit  almost  uninterruptedly  during  the  au- 
tumn and  winter  of  1858-9.  He  organized  a  Pastoral 
Aid  Society,  for  the  purpose  of  having  the  laity  work 
with  the  pastor.  It  was  divided  into  ten  departments. 
The  first  that  of  the  Sunday  School  ;  the  second  was 
under  the  head  of  Clothing  and  Fuel  for  the  Poor  ; 
third.  Orphan  Asylum  of  St.  Peter's  Church  ;  fourth, 
Ladies'  Sewing  Society  for  Missionary  Purposes  ; 
fifth,  The  Church  Home  and  Infirmary  ;  sixth,  St. 
Peter's  Parochial  School  ;  seventh,  Baltimore  City 
Missions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ;  eighth. 
Scripture  Reading  and  Services  in  Neglected  Places  ; 
ninth,  Visiting  the  Sick  and  Poor  ;  tenth,  Committee 
on  Hospitality.  The  purpose  of  this  last  department 
was  to  see  that  strangers  were  seated  in  church.     In 


1 36  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

each  department  there  were  a  committee  of  gentle- 
men and  one  of  ladies.  The  society  met  once  every 
two  months  and  annually,  and  at  both  the  annual  and 
bi-monthly  meetings  reports  were  handed  in  to  the 
Rector,  who  was  president.  The  Sunday-schools, 
parochial  school,  and  the  societies  connected  with 
the  old  church  thus  received  an  impetus,  and  the  Rec- 
tor found  that  engaging  every  member  in  active 
church  work  interested  them  at  once.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom of  Dr.  Cummins  both  in  Washington  and  Balti- 
more, indeed  in  all  his  churches,  to  give  much  per- 
sonal attention  to  the  Sunday-schools.  He  organized 
them  into  classes,  each  bearing  a  name,  and  being  a 
missionary  society  of  itself.  The  scholars  were  en- 
couraged to  deny  themselves  and  raise  money  for  mis- 
sions. At  the  end  of  the  working  season,  generally 
in  the  latter  part  of  May,  an  anniversary  meeting  was 
held,  when  the  classes  would  present  their  offerings 
separately,  with  appropriate  emblems  accompanying 
them.* 

We  have  before  us  the  programme  for  one  of  these 
delightful  anniversary  services,  with  the  names  of 
each  class,  and  a  description  of  each  emblem  and  the 
amount  collected.  Music,  prayer,  and  addresses 
formed  a  part  of  the  services.  A  Bible-class  was  or- 
ganized for  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  children. 
Seventy-three  persons  formed  this  class,  the  youngest 
member  being  the  son  of  the  Rector,  then  eight  years 
old,  the  oldest  a  veteran  soldier  of  Christ  of  sixty- 
five.  It  was  a  most  instructive  and  deeply  interesting 
Bible-class.      All  loved  to  attend,   and    the    earnest 

*  In  the  spring  of  1857  the  amount  thus  offered  by  the  children  of 
Trinity  Church,  Washington,  was  $1017. 


LABOR  IN  A   NEW  FIELD  137 


searching  of  commentaries  and  the  Word  of  God  by 
each  member  was  delightful  to  see.  It  was  looked 
forward  to  with  intense  interest.  This  class  was  con- 
tinued throughout  the  five  years  Dr.  Cummins  was 
rector  of  St.  Peter's. 

In  the  autumn  of  1858  the  mother  of  Dr.  Cummins 
was  called  to  be  with  Jesus,  whom  she  had  so  truly 
loved  and  faithfully  followed  for  fifty-six  years.  This 
was  a  severe  trial  to  her  son.  He  had  ever  been  a 
most  tenderly  loving  child.  Her  dying  testimony  to 
one  present  was  that  "he  had  never  disobeyed  her 
nor  spoken  a  cross  or  unkind  word  to  her."  Dr. 
Cummins  was  constantly  by  her  bedside,  and  by  his 
prayers  and  loving  ministrations  soothed  his  beloved 
mother's  last  moments.  It  was  his  hand  she  clasped 
so  closely  when  passing  on  to  the  dark  valley  ;  his 
voice  that  uttered  the  last  sweet  words,  "  I  will  be 
with  thee,"  as  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  "land 
Beulah." 

It  was  also  a  custom  of  Dr.  Cummins  to  send 
forth  an  earnest  "  letter"  to  his  people  before  the  be- 
ginning of  Lent.  The  object  of  these  letters  was  to 
turn  the  thoughts  of  the  congregation  to  the  peculiar 
duties  of  that  season.  His  services  at  such  times 
were  of  a  deeply  earnest  nature,  calculated  to  arouse 
every  one  to  self-examination  and  a  sincere  desire  to 
follow  Christ  more  faithfully. 

We  have  before  us  a  number  of  these  letters  for 
each  year.  The  course  of  Lenten  lectures  in  1861 
was  upon  "  The  Gospel  in  Leviticus,  or  a  Veiled  Mes- 
siah in  the  Hebrew  Ritual."     It  consisted  of 

I.  Introductory  Lecture  :  The  Book  of  Leviticus 


138  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

— Its  Author — Its  peculiarities — The  Gospel  in  Types 
and  Symbols. 

2.  The  Burnt  Offering. 

3.  The  Meat  Offering. 

4.  The  Offering  for  Sins  of  Ignorance  and  Sins  of 
Inadvertency. 

5.  The  High  Priest  and  his  Consecration. 

6.  The  Consecration  of  Aaron's  Sons,  and  the  Per- 
sonal Requirements  of  the  Priests. 

7.  The  Sin  and  Punishment  of  Nadab  and  Abihu. 

8.  The  Sanctuary  and  its  Symbolical  Furniture. 

9.  The  Great  Symbol  of  Sin — the  Leprosy. 

10.  The  Cure  and  Cleansing  of  the  Leper. 

11.  The  Great  Festivals — the  Passover  and  Feast 
of  Unleavened  Bread. 

12.  The  Sheaf  of  First-fruits  of  the  Harvest — 
The  Feast  of  Weeks,  or  Pentecost. 

13.  The  Feast  of  Trumpets — The  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles— The  Sabbatic  Year. 

14.  Good-Friday — the  Great  Day  of  Atonement. 

15.  Easter-Sunday — The  Jubilee. 

These  lectures  were  delivered  every  Tuesday  and 
Thursday  afternoons.  On  Friday  evenings  at  eight 
o'clock  preparatory  services  to  confirmation  were 
held,  and  on  Wednesday  evenings  a  course  of  lectures, 
in  1 861,  on  the  Book  of  Genesis  were  delivered.  In 
concluding  the  letters  containing  the  programme  of 
services  in  this  year,  Dr.  Cummins  thus  addresses  his 
people  : 

"  I  commend  to  you  as  special  subjects  of  prayer  :  our 
Country's  deliverance  and  salvation  ;  our  Church's  enlarge- 
ment and  purity  ;  the  conversion  of  our  beloved  friends  ;  the 


LABOR  IN  A   NEW  FIELD.  139 

spread  of  the  Gospel  by  the  agency  of  home  and  foreign 
missions  ;  and  above  all,  as  our  chief  and  deepest  want,  the 
growth  of  the  life  of  faith  and  love  in  each  of  our  hearts. 
Brethren,  my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  is,  that  ye 
may  be  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy  nation, 
a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works  ;  that  ye  may  shine 
as  lights  in  the  world,  holding  forth  the  Word  of  Life  ;  that 
ye  may  win  Christ  and  be  found  in  him  ;  and  tliat  I  may 
rejoice,  in  the  day  of  Christ,  that  I  have  not  run  in  vain, 
neither  labored  in  vain. 

"  Your  affectionate  friend  and  pastor, 

"  George  D.  Cummins." 

The  subject  of  the  course  of  Lenten  lectures  for 
1863  was  "  The  Closing  Scenes  in  the  Life  of  Our 
Lord;"  that  for  1864,  "The  Epistles  to  the  Seven 
Churches  ;"  that  for  1866,  "  The  Great  Forty  Days 
in  the  Life  of  Our  Lord  between  His  Resurrection 
and  Ascension, ' ' 

These  Lenten  services  were  felt  to  be  peculiarly 
blessed  of  God  ;  and  Dr.  Cummins  not  only  gave 
much  time  to  the  preparation  of  the  lectures,  but  was 
conscious  that  in  no  way  could  he  more  thoroughly 
reach  his  people  than  by  such  expositions  of  Scrip- 
ture truth. 

The  death  at  this  time  of  his  beloved  and  revered 
friend,  Dr.  Henry  V.  D.  Johns,  then  rector  of  Em- 
manuel Church,  Baltimore,  was  a  great  trial  to  him. 
The)'  "had  taken  sweet  counsel  together;"  they 
were  as  an  elder  and  younger  brother,  and  the  loss 
was  deeply  felt  by  him.  Resolutions  expressive  of 
the  sympathy  of  the  rector  and  vestry  of  St.  Peter's 
were  passed.  Dr.  Cummins  became  much  interested 
in  the  erection  of    the  "Johns  Memorial   Church," 


140  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

Baltimore,   which  was    completed    about  two    years 
after  the  death  of  that  noble  defender  of  the  truth. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  and  indeed  since 
he  entered  the  Protestant  Eipscopal  Church,  Dr. 
Cummins  fully  believed  it  was  practicable  and  wise 
to  work  side  by  side  with  those  who  held  entirely  op- 
posite views.  It  was  his  wish — and  as  far  as  he  was 
concerned  he  carried  this  out — to  labor  harmonious- 
ly with  those  of  a  different  school  of  thought  in  the 
Episcopal  Church.  His  ministry  in  that  church  had 
now  extended  over  a  period  of  thirteen  years.  He 
had  been  very  intimately  connected  in  church  work 
with  men  who  could  not  think  as  he  did.  In  Nor- 
folk this  was  but  seldom  the  case.  In  Richmond, 
also,  he  was  chiefly  associated  with  clergymen  of  his 
own  school.  In  Washington  he  met  with  much  more 
of  this  intercourse  ;  and  now,  established  in  Baltimore, 
he  found  his  work  lay  among  those  chiefly  who  were 
then  classed  as  High  Churchmen.  What  is  now  known 
as  Ritualism  had  not  yet  come  to  disturb  the  peace  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Through  all  the  years  of  his  ministry  Dr.  Cum- 
mins had  never  met  with  the  slightest  discourtesy  on 
the  part  of  those  who  differed  with  him.  Although 
bold  as  a  lion  in  the  pulpit,  yet  socially,  and  when 
with  brethren  at  the  various  church  meetings,  he  was 
always  so  bright  and  courteous,  so  readily  pleased, 
and  so  unwilling  to  take  offence,  that  few  could  have 
found  ground  for  any  disagreement.  All  who  knew 
him  acknowledged  this,  and  those  who  were  most 
heartily  opposed  to  his  Low  Church  views  were 
among  his  kindest  friends,  socially.  Earnestly,  faith- 
fully did  he  labor  in  every  way  with  these  brethren 


LABOR  IN  A   NEW  FIELD.  I4I 


while  in  Baltimore.  He  did  it  not  because  he  wished 
to  convey  the  impression  that  he  did  not  "  stand 
by  his  colors"  with  sufficient  firmness,  or  that  he  had 
any  low  motive  in  view,  but  simply  because  he  felt 
that  he  could  consistently  with  his  views  of  truth 
work  with  others  who  thought  so  differently,  as  long 
as  he  ivas  permitted  to  promulgate  his  views  from  tJie  pul- 
pit unreservedly,  and  with  all  the  force  and  ability  he 
possessed.  In  later  years,  and  when  the  advanced 
Ritualism  of  the  present  day  had  made  inroads  deep 
and  wide  into  the  Church,  he  thought  differently,  and 
then  candidly  and  openly  he  avowed  his  change  of 
opinion.  But  all  the  years  in  which  he  did  labor 
side  by  side  with  High  Churchmen,  he  did  it  with  the 
sincerest  and  purest  motives. 

In  the  autumn  of  i860,  while  Mrs.  Cummins  was 
in  Massachusetts,  Dr.  Cummins  visited  once  more 
his  old  parish  in  Norfolk,  Va.  We  quote  from  some 
of  his  letters  written  at  this  time  : 

"  Baltimore,  Oct.  10,  i860. 
"  We  leave  this  afternoon  for  Norfolk.  I  know  your 
thoughts  are  with  us,  and  that  you  are  praying  for  our  safe 
arrival  at  the  haven  where  we  would  be.  This  is  election-day 
for  mayor,  but  all  is  as  quiet  as  if  it  were  Sunday  almost, 
under  our  new  and  most  admirable  police  system.  I  voted  a 
reform  ticket,  and  there  were  not  ten  persons  at  the  polls. 
Last  year  crowds  of  armed  desperadoes  took  forcible  posses- 
sion of  them.     What  a  change  !" 

Under  date  of  October  nth  he  writes  : 

' '  We  are  indeed  here  in  our  old  home.  I  feel  truly 
grateful  to  God  for  his  protecting  care  over  us  last  night, 
and  bringing  us  in  health  to  our  journey's  end.     Mr.  T 


142  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

met  us  at  the  wharf,  and  was  most  kind.     We  drove  up  to 

his  house,  and  found  Mrs.  T and  the  children  awaiting 

us.     We  breakfasted,   and  then  L and  Ella  went  with 

the  nurse  to  see  dear  Miss  D and  INIrs.   J ,  who  is 

here,  while  the  Bishop  is  at  the  Board  of  Missions,  now  being 
held  in  New  Haven.  Everything  looks  so  natural  and  un- 
changed around  me  :  the  flowers  are  exquisite,  especially  the 

roses.     Rev.  Mr.  R ,  rector  of  Christ  Church,  has  just 

called.     Dear  old  Mrs.  C is  still  living,  and  I  shall  take 

L.  and  E.  to  see  her  as  soon  as  I  possibly  can." 

On  the  1 2th  he  writes  : 

"  This  morning  we  went  out  again  to  see  Miss  D and 

Mrs.  J ,  and  then  to  Mrs.  C 's.     The  dear  old  lady 

was  at  home  and  rejoicing  very  much  to  see  us.  She  is  very 
feeble,  and  only  goes  out  to  drive.  I  went  down-town  and 
met  many  old  friends.     After  dinner  I  went  again  to  Miss 

D 's,  and  conducted  the  praying-circle  which  still  meets 

there.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  meeting,  and  all  asked  a  great 
deal  about  you.  I  am  going  out  to  visit  some  of  the  fami- 
lies in  affliction.  I  preach  in  Christ  Church  on  Sunday 
twice." 

In  his  letter  of  October  13th  he  says  : 

"  On  the  table  on  which  I  am  writing  are  three  vases  of 
flowers  such  as  Norfolk  only  can  produce,  just  sent  to  me  by 

Mrs.  Captain  S ,  and  arranged  by  sweet  L .     Among 

them  are  half-opened  buds  of  cloth-of-gold  roses,  four  on  a 
stem,  and  many  others  scarcely  less  splendid.  I  long  to  be 
able  to  send  them  to  you.  After  writing  to  you  yesterday  I 
went  out  and  visited  many  of  our  dear  friends,  some  of  whom 
are  in  affliction.  They  made  many  affectionate  inquiries 
concerning  you.  In  the  afternoon  several  families  called, 
and  in  the  evening  we  took  tea  at  Dr.    S 's.     All  our 


LABOJi  IN  A  NEl^  FIELD.  143 

friends  are  as  affectionate  as  ever.     We  leave  Tuesday  for 
Baltimore." 

Dr.  Cummins  had  suggested  to  the  alumni  of  the 
theological  seminary  near  Alexandria,  Va.,  that  they 
should  raise  funds  to  erect  a  hall  at  that  place,  to 
be  called  "  Meade  Hall,"  after  his  beloved  and  re- 
vered friend.  Bishop  Meade.  He  had  succeeded  in 
interesting  the  alumni  of  the  seminary  in  the  project, 
and  they,  by  the  aid  of  their  congregations,  had  been 
most  successful  in  collecting  the  amount  necessary. 
His  own  congregation  had  contributed  largely,  and 
in  a  letter  dated  Norfolk,  October  i6th,  he  says  : 

"  Mr.  T and  I  went  to  Governor  Tazewell's  to  pre- 
sent the  claims  of  '  Meade  Hall,'  and  I  hope  to  get  a  contri- 
bution from  the  family." 

On  Thanksgiving-day,  November  29th,  i860,  Dr. 
Cummins  preached  a  sermon  entitled  "  The  Christian, 
in  Time  of  National  Peril,  trembling  for  the  Ark  of 
God"  (i  Samuel  4  :  13).  It  was  delivered  at  a  time 
when  our  country  was  threatened  with  anarchy  and 
ruin,  when  good  men  and  women  could  only  lift  up 
their  voices  to  the  God  of  nations  to  preserve  them 
by  his  almighty  power.  This  sermon  was  spoken  of 
at  the  time  as  a  powerful  effort  ;  and  at  the  request  of 
many  persons,  outside  the  congregation  of  St.  Peter's, 
as  well  as  his  own  friends,  a  large  edition  was  printed 
and  distributed  throughout  the  United  States.  In 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1861,  January  4th,  Dr. 
Cummins  preached  another  sermon  in  St.  Peter's, 
which  at  that  time  produced  a  marvellous  effect.  The 
title  of  this  sermon  was  "  The  African,  a  Trust  from 


144  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

God  to  the  American"  (Isaiah  65  :  8).  It  was  de- 
livered on  the  day  of  "  national  humiliation,  fasting, 
and  prayer' '  set  apart  by  the  President.  An  edition 
of  fifteen  hundred  copies  of  this  sermon  was  printed  at 
the  urgent  request  of  many  citizens  of  Baltimore,  and 
sent  all  over  the  country.  We  have  before  us  a 
large  number  of  letters  from  friends  of  Dr.  Cummins 
upon  the  subject  of  this  sermon.    We  quote  from  a  few  : 

"  Boston,  February  21,  1861. 
"  Dear  Sir  :  I  thank  you  for  sending  me  a  copy  of  your 
able  and  eloquent  sermon,  '  The  African,  a  Trust  from  God 
to  the  American. '  I  have  read  it  since  my  return  from  Wash- 
ington on  an  errand  of  peace,  and  am  deeply  impressed  by 
its  appropriateness  and  power. 

"  Yours  respectfully,  Robert  C.  Winthrop. 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

The  following  note  is  from  one  of  the  present 
Southern  bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  : 

"  Philadelphia,  January  29,  i860. 

"  My  Dear  Dr.  Cummins  :  I  have  just  now  enjoyed  a 
rare  luxury  in  reading  your  sermon  on  the  subject  which  is 
agitating  our  unhappy  country.  It  is  the  only  sermon  among 
the  number  which  I  have  received  which  elicits  from  me  any 
formal  acknowledgment.  Apart  from  its  rhetorical  excel- 
lence, which  is  of  the  highest  order,  it  is  a  sermon  replete  with 
wisdom,  and  entitles  its  author  to  a  high  place  in  the  councils 
of  the  Church  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  her  history.  I  have 
given  it  extensive  circulation  among  my  friends — so  at  least 
you  would  say  if  you  could  see  the  catalogue  of  names  which 
accompanies  it  this  morning  on  its  mission  through  the  parish. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  brother,  your  sincerely  attached  friend, 

"J.  P.  B.  W . 

"  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 


LABOR  IN  A    NEW  FIELD.  145 

Another  is  from  the  present  Protestant  Episcopal 
Bishop  of  Pennsylvania : 

"Philadelphia,  January  i8,  1861. 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  cannot  forbear  to 
thank  you  for  your  two  admirable  sermons,  which  I  have  re- 
ceived and  read  with  unfeigned  pleasure — especially  the  last, 
received  yesterday.  I  read  it  all  through  alone,  and  then  I 
assembled  all  my  family,  from  grandmother  to  grandchild, 
and  read  it  aloud  to  the  delight  and  edification  of  all.  It  is 
a  true  and  noble  outspeaking  of  what  I  believe  to  be  the  mind 
and  will  of  Christ.  I  agree  to  every  word,  and  if  it  could  be 
printed  in  a  cheap  form  and  scattered  throughout  the  land, 
I  am  sure  it  would  act  as  a  corrective  to  the  false  views  held 
by  many  well-meaning  Christians. 

"  My  heart  bleeds,  my  dear  brother,  at  the  fearful  convul- 
sions in  our  midst.  God  have  mercy  upon  us,  for  vain  is 
the  help  of  man  ! 

"  Very  truly  yours,  Wm,  Bacon  Stevens. 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

From  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  of  Ohio,  he  received  a 
long  letter  of  eight  pages,  under  date  of  January  19th, 
1 86 1,  closely  written.  We  extract  only  a  few  sen- 
tences : 

"  I  have  received  and  read  with  much  pleasure  your  ser- 
mon preached  on  the  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  I  cannot 
say  that  I  think  it  was  the  subject  for  such  a  day,  but  I  can 
say  that  I  think  it  well  handled  and  in  a  good  spirit.  There 
is  but  one  page  in  the  contents  of  which  I  cannot  go  with  you 
substantially.  ...  As  a  Christian,  and  a  Christian  min- 
ister full  of  love  to  all  the  precious  interests  of  the  Gospel  of 
Peace  in  the  country,  and  hence  to  all  the  dark  places  of  the 
world,  I  mourn  in  bitterness  of  spirit  over  the  present  dan- 


146  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

gers  of  our  Union.  Oh  !  for  party  spirit  to  go  into  the 
caves  and  dens  of  the  rocks,  and  hide  itself  !  Oh  !  that  men 
would  learn  and  feel  that  there  are  interests  in  the  country  a 
thousand  times  more  precious  than  party  platforms  and  con- 
sistencies !  I  really  had  no  idea  of  writing  all  this  when  I 
began.     The  Lord  bless  you. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  C.  P.  McIlvaine." 

The  following  note  is  from  Bishop  Lee,  late  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Bishop  of  Iowa  : 

"  Davenport,  Iowa,  December  13,  i860. 
"  My  Dear  Doctor  :  I  have  just  read  your  sermon  on 
Thanksgiving- Day.  I  read  it  aloud  in  my  family,  and  I  can- 
not refrain  from  saying,  '  God  bless  you  for  it  !  '  It  is  patri- 
otic, Christian,  noble.  I  fear  that  secession  is  inevitable, 
but  the  Lord  reigns. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  Henry  W.  Lee. 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

A  prominent  Southern  gentleman  wrote  on  the 
22d  of  January,  1861,  as  follows  : 

"  I  received  yesterday  a  copy  of  your  admirable  sermon 
preached  on  the  occasion  of  the  national  fast.  I  thank  you 
most  heartily  for  preaching  it.  It  is  time  that  the  Church  in 
these  Southern  States  should  make  a  clear,  distinct,  and 
strong  declaration  of  the  grounds  on  which  she  tolerates  an 
institution  which  was  introduced  among  us  by  the  very  par- 
ties that  are  now  loudest  in  condemning  it.  You  have  per- 
formed the  delicate  task  in  an  able  and  masterly  manner,  and 
in  a  judicious,  moderate,  and  truly  Christian  spirit." 

In  April,  1861,  the  United  States  troops  passed 
through    Baltimore    on   their   way   to    Washington. 


LABOR  IN  A   NEW  FIELD.  H? 


They  were  attacked  by  some  desperate  men,  and  firing 
upon  them,  killed  several.  The  whole  city  was  in  a 
state  of  fearful  excitement,  and  Dr.  Cummins  thought 
it  advisable  to  take  his  family  to  Smyrna,  Del.,  for  a 
time.  His  wife  and  children  remained  in  Smyrna 
some  weeks,  while  he  returned  to  Baltimore  to  his 
duties.     At  this  time  he  writes  : 

"  Baltimore,  May  9,  1861. 

"  I  was  in  the  midst  of  the  troops  all  the  time.  They  are 
3000  strong.  I  saw  them  drilling,  and  practising  firing  with 
the  cannon  ;  the  balls  whistled  as  they  went  through  the  air. 

' '  The  first  body  of  troops  crossed  from  Perryville  to  Havre 
de  Grace  Tuesday  night,  but  the  bridges  are  not  yet  rebuilt. 
This  is  going  to  be  a  long  and  awful  war  if  God  does  not 
save  us.  The  South  will  fight  with  desperation,  and  sacrifice 
everything  almost  before  they  submit.  The  government  has 
a  terrible  work  to  do  ! 

' '  There  will  be  no  fighting  here,  unless  a  few  desperate 
men  should  assault  the  troops,  and  if  so  they  will  be  de- 
stroyed. Everything  is  very  gloomy  here.  Twenty-five  hun- 
dred troops  landed  at  Locust  Point  yesterday,  May  nth. 
It  looks  very  much  as  though  there  would  be  a  conflict  very 
shortly  near  Harper's  Ferry.  The  government  sent  troops 
up  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  R.R.  last  night.  I  rejoice  you 
are  not  here.  I  dread  the  effect  of  the  news  of  the  first  coti- 
flid.  Our  Sunday-school  anniversary  is  appointed  to  come 
off  to-morrow  afternoon,  but  of  course  it  cannot  be  what  it 
would  have  been  in  a  time  of  peace.  We  keep  up  our  service 
for  prayer  at  St.  Peter's  each  day  at  12  o'clock,  and  intend 
to  continue  it.  Prayer  now  is  all  that  is  left  to  us.  May 
God  protect  and  bless  you  and  our  precious  children  !" 

Although  the  city  of  Baltimore  was  not  the  scene  of 


148  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

conflict  during  all  the  years  that  followed,  this  was  a 
most  anxious  and  sad  time  to  every  one  of  her  citi- 
zens. Many  had  relatives  and  friends  in  both  armies, 
and  the  pastor  was  called  upon  to  comfort  and  sym- 
pathize with  all,  whatever  their  political  views  might 
be. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

IN  LABORS  ABUNDANT." 

"And  the  Reaper  came  and  found, 
Among  the  fragrant  leaves, 
The  golden  fruitage,  ripe  and  full. 
And  he  bound  it  in  his  sheaves." 

Aged  39. 

IN  a  letter  dated  May   nth,    1861,  Dr.   Cummins 
writes  sadly  of  the  state  ot  things  in  the  city,  and 
says  : 

"We  have  had  a  day  of  unsurpassed  loveliness.  The 
morning  in  this  part  of  the  city  was  almost  heavenly.  I 
thought  of  the  wickedness  of  man  in  defiling  so  fair  a  scene 
with  war^  and  what  a  contrast  to  the  bountiful  goodness  of 
God  !  I  preached  on  Sunday,  at  11  o'clock,  to  a  large  congre- 
gation, a  sermon  on  casting  out  from  the  heart  all  this  awful 
spirit  of  malice,  bitterness,  and  hatred.  At  4  o'clock  we  had 
our  anniversary.  It  was  a  very  successful  one,  notwithstand- 
ing the  times.     The  church  was  crowded  in  every  part.     The 

children  sang  very  well.     Dr.    S and  Rev.    Mr.  C 

were  present.  Some  of  the  devices  were  very  appropriate. 
One  was  a  basket  of  fine  fruit ;  the  name  of  the  class  was 
'First-Fruits.'  Another,  the  '  St.  John  Class, '  a  live  white 
dove  sitting  on  a  basket  of  flowers.  The  '  Havelock  Class,' 
a  cross  with  a  beautiful  sword  and  shield,  and  helmet  with 
vizor  at  its  base.  The  '  Virginia  Hoffman  Class, '  a  marble 
cross  surrounded  at  its  base  with  flowers. 


I50  GEORGE  D4VID  CUMMINS. 

In  all  his  letters  written  at  this  time  there  is  a  full 
record  of  earnest  and  unceasing  labor  among  his  peo- 
ple. The  sadness  that  was  so  deeply  felt  by  him  in 
this  fearful  time,  separation  from  his  family,  and  the 
pressure  of  heavy  responsibilities  never  interfered 
with  his  daily  routine  of  duty.  To  the  sick  of  his 
flock  he  ever  carried  the  brightness  and  cheer  of  his 
own  sunny  spirit ;  to  the  bereaved  his  words  of  con- 
solation were  only  the  more  tender  by  reason  of  his 
own  trials.     He  truly  went  about  doing  good. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1861,  Dr.  Cummins,  ac- 
companied by  two  of  his  vestry,  paid  a  short  visit  to 
Washington.  While  there  he  met  all  his  old  and  dear 
friends,  whom  he  found  greatly  depressed  by  the 
state  of  the  country,  the  fearful  advance  in  the  cost 
of  living,  the  lessened  value  of  property,  the  breaking 
up  of  families,  and  the  absence  of  loved  ones  who  had 
joined  the  two  armies.  The  changes  that  had  oc- 
curred in  his  old  congregation  saddened  him  greatly, 
and  all  whom  he  met  lamented  his  having  left  them. 
He  thus  writes  from  his  old  home  : 

"Washington,  May  21,  1861. 
"  I  rode  up  to  the  Capitol,  which  is  occupied  by  two 
regiments,  and  went  out  on  the  Library  portico  to  look  at  the 
beautiful  prospect.  It  was  now  more  lovely  than  ever  in  the 
first  fresh  green  of  spring.  I  saw  Alexandria  and  the  tower 
of  the  seminary  in  the  distance,  and  the  white  tents  of  the 
encampments  on  the  north  of  the  city.  On  my  way  to  the 
Capitol  I  met  the  New  York  Second  Regiment,  just  arrived 
from  the  North,  twelve  hundred  men.  As  I  reached  the  gate 
of  the  Capitol  grounds  I  met  the  funeral  of  Colonel  Vosburg, 
of  the  New  York  Seventy-first  Regiment.  It  was  a  sight  to 
behold.     First  came  the  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  at  whose 


"IN  LABORS  abundant:'  1 51 

head  rode  Governor  Sprague  ;  then  the  Twelfth  New  York  Regi- 
ment ;  then  the  Seventy-first  New  York,  and  last  the  Sixty-ninth 
New  York — in  all  between  three  and  four  thousand  men.  The 
coffin  was  covered  with  the  U.  S.   flag,  and  his  noble  horse 

was  led  behind  it.     Dr.  B and  Rev.  Mr.  M were  in 

one  carriage,  and  I  bowed  to  them  in  passing.  In  an  open 
carriage  behind  the  hearse  sat  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Cam- 
eron on  the  back  seat,  and  Mr.  Seward  and  Mr.  Chase  on 
the  front.  I  had  seen  all  these  gentlemen  except  Mr.  Lincoln 
very  often,  and  was  agreeably  disappointed  in  his  personal 
appearance.  After  lunch  we  drove  out  to  the  camp  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment.  It  is  on  the  Fourteenth  Street  road,  op- 
posite Columbia  College.  We  could  not  stay  to  see  the  pa- 
rade, which  was  to  take  place  at  five  o'clock,  but  after  visiting 
some  of  the  tents  and  listening  to  a  splendid  band  of  about 
forty  musicians,  we  drove  to  the  station,  and  took  the  6.15 
train  for  Baltimore." 

In  another  letter,  dated  May  23d,  he  says  : 

"  At  a  time  like  this  we  must  be  thankful  that  we  have 
many  mercies,  and  that  we  are  not  situated  as  a  number  of 
our  friends  are.  As  to  Jefferson  County,  you  will  have 
learned  from  your  mother's  letter  what  a  state  they  are  in 
there  ;  nor  can  it  be  otherwise — it  must  be  one  of  the  thea- 
tres of  war.     Mr.  B came  in  the  afternoon  and  drove 

me  to  Druid  Hill  Park  ;  it  was  a  great  treat.  It  is  the  most 
beautiful  spot  I  have  ever  seen.  At  11  o'clock  this  morning 
I  read  the  '  Special  Service  '  at  St.  Paul's  for  Dr.  Wyatt.  At 
6.30  P.M.  we  had  a  meeting  of  the  Standing  Committee   at 

Dr.  W 's,  and  then  I  hurried  to  my  lecture  ;  the  attendance 

very  good. ' ' 

Dr.  Cummins  had  been  requested  by  the  Mayor  of 


152  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

Baltimore  to  open  Druid  Hill  Park  with  appropriate 
religious  services,  which  he  did  May,  1861.  It  is  one 
of  the  loveliest  parks  in  this  country  or  Europe,  and 
contains  about  eleven  hundred  acres.  With  a  quota- 
tion from  another  letter  we  close  the  history  of  the 
early  part  of  this  year,  as  immediately  after  this  was 
written  Dr.  Cummins  joined  his  family  at  Smyrna, 
Del.,  and  they  passed  the  June  and  July  at  the  springs 
in  York  County,  Pennsylvania,  with  many  pleasant 
friends.     He  writes  : 

"  Baltimore,  May  24. 

"  No  human  mind  can  tell  what  is  before  us.     I  rode 

down-town  in  the  cars  to-day  with  Mr.    W ;  he  seemed 

deeply  troubled.  He  feels  that  all  things  are  so  insecure  here 
— business  dead,  thousands  out  of  employment,  the  poor  clam- 
oring for  bread,  and  the  general  demoralization  among  the 
masses  !  And  this  only  at  the  beginnmg.  General  Scott  will 
make  no  great  forward  movement  during  this  summer.  I  am 
glad  to  see  by  a  notice  in  the  Recorder  that  father's  article 
has  just  been  published  in  the  Episcopal  Quarterly.  You  will 
see  it  among  the  book  notices." 

The  autumn  of  this  year  was  an  unusually  busy 
one.  In  November  he  went  to  Philadelphia  to  de- 
liver the  annual  sermon  before  the  Bishop  White 
Prayer-Book  Society,  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Trinity.  This  sermon  was  printed  at  the  request  of 
the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Society,  His  work,  as 
marked  out  for  the  winter  of  1 861-2,  was  by  no 
means  lessened  by  reason  of  the  anxiety  that  filled  the 
heart  of  the  pastor  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  seemed  only 
to  gird  on  the  armor  more  securely,  and  of  him  it 
must  also  be  said  : 


"AV  LABORS  ABUNDANT."  1 53 

"  Toiling,  rejoicing,  sorrowing, 

The  Christian  onward  goes  ; 
Each  morning  sees  some  task  begin, 

Each  evening  sees  it  close  ; 
Something  attempted,  something  done, 

Has  earned  a  night's  repose." 

The  testimony  of  all  who  knew  him  during  these 
sad  days  of  war  say  that 

"  The  love-lit  eye,  too,  ere  he  spoke, 

Forestalled  the  office  of  his  tongue, 
And  hearts  on  which  its  radiance  broke 

Thrilled  with  new  life,  and  heavenward  sprung — 
And  prayer  and  praise  where'er  he  trod 
Bore  witness  that  he  walked  with  God." 

It  was,  we  think,  at  this  time  that  a  pleasing  inci- 
dent occurred.  It  was  frequently  his  custom  to 
preach  especially  to  young  men  ;  on  these  occasions 
the  church  was  thronged.  On  the  evening  to  which 
we  refer,  the  subject  of  the  sermon  was  the  great  need 
of  our  country  for  pious  young  men.  The  text  was 
St.  John's  message  to  young  men  :  "  I  have  written 
unto  you,  young  men,  because  ye  are  strong."  At 
the  close  of  the  discourse  Dr.  Cummins  repeated,  with 
deepest  feeling,  the  beautiful  lines  by  Bishop  Cleve- 
land Coxe, 

"In  the  silent  midnight  watches." 

The  bishop,  then  Dr.  Coxe  and  rector  of  Grace 
Church,  Baltimore,  was — unknown  to  the  rector  of 
St.  Peter's — one  of  the  audience.  After  the  services 
Dr.  Coxe  went  into  the  vestry-room  and  said,  "  My 
brother.  I  never  knew  I  had  ever  written  anything 
so  good  as  that  until  I  heard  you  repeat  it  to-night." 


154  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

We  were  present  at  the  time,  and  well  may  Dr.  Coxe 
have  thus  spoken.  In  that  vast  throng  the  faintest 
sound  might  have  been  heard  ;  the  people  held  their 
breath  while  the  speaker  repeated  the  beautiful  and 
touching  lines,  his  face  aglow  with  enthusiasm  and 
earnestness  as  he  plead  with  them  to  stand  up  for 
Jesus,  to  enroll  themselves  on  the  Lord's  side.  Many 
wept,  and  the  most  frivolous  went  away  with  those 
eloquent  yet  tender,  loving  words  and  tones  sound- 
ing in  their  ears.  Several  gave  their  hearts  to  the 
Saviour,  and  dated  their  conversion  from  that  night. 

The  spring  of  1862,  another  bereavement  came  to 
throw  its  dark  cloud — yet,  blessed  be  God  !  the  silver 
lining  was  there — over  the  happy  home.  A  young 
niece,  much  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her,  was  called 
to  suffer  agony  from  a  railway  accident,  and  after 
many  days  left  for  her  Father's  home. 

In  July  of  that  year  Dr.  Cummins  and  his  wife 
sailed  for  Europe,  leaving  their  little  children  in  the 
care  of  their  grandparents  in  Virginia.  They  only 
expected  to  be  absent  three  months.  The  health  of 
Dr.  Cummins  had  not  been  so  good  as  usual  for  some 
months,  and  after  consulting  his  physicians  he  decided 
to  follow  their  advice  and  try  the  effect  of  a  sea 
voyage,  both  for  his  own  and  his  wife's  health. 


I 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FIRST  VISIT  TO   EUROPE,    AND   LETTERS  TO   HIS 
CHILDREN. 

Aged  40. 

N  a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Cummins  to  his  children, 
dated  July  25th,  1862,  he  says  : 


"  I  have  just  counted  over  one  hundred  vessels  of  all 
sizes  in  view  from  our  window,  in  this  magnificent  harbor 
and  bay  reaching  from  New  York  to  the  Narrows.     We  have 

just  returned  from  a  delightful  drive  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L 

[the  dear  friends  with  whom  they  were  staying].  We  drove 
through  some  of  the  most  beautiful  parts  of  the  island,  and 
at  times  had  views  of  the  bay  and  ocean  also.  The  scene  at 
night  is  fairy-like,  the  lights  in  the  distant  cities  stretching 
for  miles  along  the  shore.  We  are  very  thankful  to  hear  you 
are  all  so  happy  in  the  sweet  home  of  your  dear  grandparents. 
This  will  reconcile  us  the  more  to  our  separation  from  you, 
and  to  know  you  are  contributing  to  their  enjoyment.  Do 
not  give  yourselves  any  uneasiness  about  the  war.  You  are 
in  a  safe  and  retired  spot,  and  whatever  may  be  the  condition 
of  the  country  we  can  reach  you  on  our  return  to  this  coun- 
try. Above  all  live  near  to  your  Saviour,  seeking  his  grace 
as  the  first  of  all  blessings,  going  to  him  daily  as  to  your 
best  friend  for  guidance  and  strength." 

The  next  letter  in  order  of  date  was  written  on 
the  steamer  : 


1 56  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

"  On  Board  Steamer  City  of  New  York,  July  26,  1862. 

"  My  Precious  Children  :  We  left   Mr.  L 's   at   9 

o'clock  and  reached  the  steamer  at  10.30,  and  were  ushered  into 
our  state-room,  when  lo  !  we  found  anything  but  s^a^e.   Imagine 

a  little  *  cuddy  '  about  one  third  \ht  size  of  G 's  room  at 

home,  and  only  half  as  high,  with  two  berths,  one  above  the 
other,  and  a  sofa  ;  and  here  we  are  to  pass  eleven  or  twelve 
days  !  But  there  is  nothing  like  philosophy,  and  so  we  went 
to  work  to  arrange  everything  as  comfortably  as  possible, 
and  occupied  the  time  thus  until  12  o'clock.  The  scene  about 
the  steamer  just  before  starting  was  one  of  dire  confusion  : 
passengers  eager  to  get  their  luggage  safely  bestowed  on 
board  ;  emigrants,  policemen,  and  porters  talking  at  the  same 
time  ;  friends  of  passengers  bidding  them  adieu  ;  sailors  crying 
out  in  their  strange  dialect — until  the  cry  '  All  ashore  !  '  is 
heard,  when  all  who  are  not  going  in  the  ship  hasten  to  leave, 
and  she  begins  to  move.  We  went  at  once  on  the  quarter- 
deck, and  enjoyed  the  scene  of  the  city,  the  harbor,  and  the 

noble  bay.     As  we  passed  Staten  Island  Mrs.  L waved 

us  a  farewell  from  the  balcony,  and  we  answered  it. 

"  All  is  novel  to  us  on  shipboard  :  the  pilot's  orders  and 
the  sailors'  movements.  '  Port !  '  shouts  the  pilot,  and  '  Port ! ' 
is  echoed  by  two  officers,  and  thus  passed  to  the  men  at  the 
wheel.  Port  means  '  right,'  or  '  steer  to  the  right.'  '  Hard- 
a-port '  means  '  steer  to  the  right  quickly. '  '  Starboard  '  is 
'  left. '  I  introduced  myself  to  Captain  Petrie,  and  he  in- 
vited us  to  take  seats  at  his  table. 

"  2.30  o'clock. — We  are  now  near  Sandy  Hook,  where  the 
pilot  leaves  us,  and  the  captain  takes  command  of  the  ship 
until  we  are  near  the  coast  of  England,  when  an  English  pilot 
takes  her  in  charge.  The  Highlands  of  Neversink  are  in 
view,  and  this  is  the  last  land  we  shall  see  until  we  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  shores  of  the  Old  World. 

"  The  boatswain's  whistle  would  amuse  you.  Our  boat- 
swain is  a  perfect  representative  of  a  sailor,  a  regular  '  Jack 


FIRST   VISIT   TO  EUROPE.  157 

Tar,'  and  has  a  curious  whistle  with  which  he  gives  orders  to 
the  sailors.  , 

"3.30  o'clock. — Our  pilot  has  just  left  us,  and  another 
ocean  steamer,  the  Borussia,  bound  for  Hamburg,  is  in  sight. 

"  6  o'clock  P.M. — We  remained  on  deck  until  4,  and  then 
went  to  dinner. 

"  Sunday,  12  o'clock. — The  Great  Eastern  has  been  in 
sight  all  morning,  some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  ahead  of  us. 
We  are  now  over  two  hundred  miles  out  at  sea,  and  yet  I  have 
been  watching  flocks  of  sea-birds  flying  about  and  resting  on 
the  waves. 

"  Monday,  July  28. — Last  night  we  slept  well,  though  the 
ship  rolled  a  great  deal.  This  morning  is  exceedingly  beau- 
tiful ;  around  us  stretches  the  vast  and  boundless  ocean,  with 
not  a  sail  upon  it. 

"  Tuesday,  July  29. — We  are  getting  along  finely;  the 
weather  is  lovely,  and  the  sea  very  calm.  Mamma  was  on  deck 
all  this  afternoon.  Last  night  at  9  o'clock  the  engines  of  the 
ship  suddenly  stopped.  This  is  always  an  exciting  event  on 
board  an  ocean  steamer.  It  was  found  that  some  of  her 
machinery  around  the  shaft  had  become  too  hot,  and  the 
engines  were  stopped  to  cool  it.  At  12  o'clock  p.m.  we  were 
moving  again.  This  morning  we  are  all  on  deck  ;  to-morrow 
we  expect  to  pass  Cape  Race,  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland, 
1000  miles  from  New  York.  This  evening  all  assembled  in 
the  saloon,  and  we  had  some  music. 

'*  July  2,0,  ^o'clock  P.M. — This  has  been  another  lovely 
day.  About  12  o'clock  we  first  began  to  see  land  on  our  left, 
a  part  of  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  and  soon  the  shore 
came  in  full  view.  Near  the  shore  we  discerned  a  white  ob- 
ject, looking  like  a  sail,  but  on  looking  through  a  glass  it 
proved  to  be  a  small  iceberg,  white  as  snow,  looking  at  one 
time,  as  we  drew  near  it,  like  a  church  with  a  parsonage  ad- 
joining !  As  we  moved  on  we  saw  Cape  Pine  first,  with  a 
lighthouse  on  it,  and  an  hour  later  Cape  Race.     Here  we 


158  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

stopped  a  few  moments,  and  a  boat  bearing  the  British  flag 
came  out  to  us  bringing  the  latest  7ieivs,  received  at  that  point 
by  telegraph  from  New  York.  Then  we  left  with  our  prow 
towards  the  east,  and  our  next  stopping-place  will  be  '  Ould 
Ireland.'  I  was  called  about  4  o'clock  to  see  a  woman  who 
is  very  ill  among  the  steerage  passengers.  The  surgeon 
thinks  she  will  not  live  to  reach  Ireland.  She  is  a  member 
of  our  Church,  and  seems  to  be  a  true  Christian,  with  a  firm 
trust  in  the  Saviour. 

"  Life  on  shipboard  is  very  monotonous,  and  we  are 
longing  for  the  voyage  to  be  over.  We  have  favorable  winds, 
and  have  travelled  to-day  268  miles,  and  are  in  Latitude  50°. 

"  Saturday,  August  2. — Distance  travelled  to-day  is  286 
miles.  The  poor  woman  I  wrote  of  yesterday  died  this  morn- 
ing. We  are  now  1800  miles  from  New  York,  and  have 
1200  more  to  travel. 

"  Su?iday,  August  3. — We  have  had  a  very  affecting 
scene  to-day,  a  burial  at  sea.  Ten  o'clock  was  appointed  for 
the  service.  The  coffin  was  wrapped  in  a  flag,  and  brought 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  sailors — dressed  in  their  best  clothes 
— to  the  side  of  the  ship  ;  a  portion  of  the  upper  railing  was 
removed,  and  the  coffin  rested  upon  a  board,  one  end  over 
the  side.  At  the  request  of  Captain  Petrie  I  read  the  Burial 
Service.  At  the  words  '  We  therefore  commit  her  body  to 
the  deep, '  the  coffin  sank  into  the  depths  of  the  ocean,  to  be 
guarded  by  Him  in  whose  sight  the  very  dust  of  his  people 
is  precious,  and  to  be  fashioned  like  his  own  glorious  body 
at  the  resurrection  of  the  just.  What  an  unspeakable  comfort 
to  know  that  while  we  were  committing  her  body  to  the  deep, 
her  soul  is  at  rest  with  Him  in  whom  she  trusted  for  salva- 
tion !  My  mind  has  been  dwelling  on  the  poor  mother  who  will 
watch  and  wait  in  vain  for  her  daughter's  return  from  across 
the  sea,  and  must  hear  that  she  sleeps  in  its  mysterious 
depths. 

"At   12   o'clock  I  read    the   service  of   the  Church  of 


FIRST    VISIT    TO  EUROPE.  1 59 


England  in  the  saloon  ;  the  officers  and  men   and  many  of 
the  cabin  and  steerage  passengers  were  present. 

"  Augiisf  4. — We  have  entered  on  our  fen^/i  day  at  sea, 
and  it  is  a  most  disagreeable  one  :  sea  quite  rough,  raining 
and  very  cold.  To-morrow  afternoon  we  expect  to  see  the 
shores  of  I  reland,  our  first  view  of  the  Old  World. 

"  Tuesday.,  August  5. — This  is  a  bright,  beautiful  day. 
The  chief  officer  of  the  ship  announced  to  me  this  morning, 
on  going  on  deck,  that  we  should  see  land  at  2  o'clock,  and 
be  at  Queenstown  by  midnight,  and  we  shall  be  at  Liverpool 
Thursday  morning. 

"  I  will  mail  this  letter  at  Queenstown,  and  it  will  go  in 
the  steamer  of  this  line  which  leaves  Liverpool  to-morrow, 
and  touches  at  Queenstown,  so  that  you  will  learn  of  our  safe 
arrival  on  the  shores  of  Ireland,  though  not  yet  at  Liverpool. 
We  have  indeed  great  cause  for  gratitude  to  God  for  bring- 
ing us  thus  far  in  safety.  We  will  spend  several  days  in  Liv- 
erpool, and  I  hope  to  hear  Dr.  McNeile  preach.  I  have 
letters  to  an  interesting  clergyman,  a  friend  of  Dr.  McNeile's. 

"  August  5,  5  0' clock. — I  have  just  seen  the  mountains 
or  hills  in  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  and  now  must  close  my 
letter.  We  remember  you  constantly  in  our  prayers,  my  pre- 
cious children,  that  God  may  watch  over  you,  and  keep  you 
from  all  evil,  and  incline  your  hearts  to  love  and  serve  him. 

"  And  now  farewell.     Mamma  joins  me  in  fondest  love  to 
dear  grandpapa  and  grandmamma  and  your  own  dear  selves. 
"  Your  loving  father,  Geo.  D.  Cummins." 

The  next  letter  is  dated 

"  Edinburgh,  August  8,  1862. 
"  My  Precious  Children  :  This  morning  at  i  o'clock 
we  left  Liverpool  for  Edinburgh.  It  was  raining  very  hard, 
but  we  must  expect  such  weather  in  England,  and  we  find  the 
people  are  very  indifferent  to  it.  Notwithstanding  the  rain, 
our  ride  was  one  of  great  interest.     The  country  was  full  of 


l6o  GEORGE   DAVID    CUMMINS. 

novelty  to  us,  the  very  trees  and  grasses  so  different  from 
our  own  :  the  trees  much  smaller,  and  of  less  variety.  The 
hedges  are  very  pretty,  contrasting  beautifully  with  the  lighter 
green  of  the  grass.  The  first  point  of  interest  was  the  town 
of  Lancaster,  and  here  we  saw  the  first  old  English  castle, 
on  a  hill.  Lancaster  was  a  Roman  town  1800  years  ago,  and 
its  castle  was  built  by  John  of  Gaunt  in  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury. The  son  of.  John  of  Gaunt,  Henry  Bolingbroke,  be- 
came Duke  of  Lancaster,  and  afterwards  king,  so  that  now 
one  of  the  titles  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  is  *  Duke  of  Lancaster. ' 
In  the  '  Wars  of  the  Roses  '  between  the  houses  of  York  and 
Lancaster  this  city  suffered  much,  and  also  in  the  war  be- 
tween Charles  L  and  the  Parliament  :  it  was  on  the  king's 
side. 

' '  After  leaving  Lancaster  we  found  ourselves  soon  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  beautiful  scenery  of  England.  It  is  the 
region  of  the  Cumberland  Lakes,  and  we  were  passing 
through  beautiful  valleys,  encompassed  by  lofty  hills,  down 
whose  sides  little  streams  were  trickling,  as  white  as  melted 
silver.  Ten  miles  from  Kendal  station,  where  the  train 
stopped  a  few  moments,  is  Lake  Windermere,  near  which 
Southey  and  Wordsworth  resided.  It  was  in  this  region 
Wordsworth  drank  in  inspiration  from  such  lovely  scenery. 
Every  acre  of  ground  was  dear  to  him.  We  shall  read  his 
poetry  with  new  interest  after  looking  on  these  beautiful  hills. 

"  Our  next  station  was  Penrith,  where  we  saw  the  ruins 
of  another  castle,  where  Richard  III.  resided  for  a  long  time. 
Seventeen  miles  further  on  we  came  to  the  town  of  Carlisle, 
the  last  city  in  England  on  our  journey,  and  once  besieged 
by  Robert  Bruce.  Soon  we  passed  Gretna  Green  station, 
and  knew  by  the  name  that  we  were  in  Scotland.  Gretna 
Green  is  famous  for  its  having  been  the  spot  where  persons 
came  to  be  married  to  escape  the  laws  of  England.  Our 
journey  now  lay  through  an  uninteresting  country  for  a  hun- 
dred  miles  to  Edinburgh.      It  was  not  quite  dark  at  twenty 


FIRST   VISIT   TO  EUROPE.  i6l 

minutes  past  9  o'clock  !  On  reaching  Edinburgh  we  went 
to  the  Alma  Hotel,  and  we  were  soon  delightfully  domiciled 
in  two  pleasant  rooms,  a  parlor  and  bedroom  ;  our  meals 
served  in  the  parlor.  We  like  this  plan  so  much  chiefly  be- 
cause of  the  privacy  and  home  feeling. 

"  On  looking  out  of  our  parlor  windows  in  the  morning  I 
was  met  by  a  scene  that  seemed  like  fairy-land.  Immediately 
opposite  our  windows  rose  a  tremendous  pile  of  rock  partly 
covered  with  grass  and  trees,  and  on  the  summit  stood  an 
old  gray-stone  castle,  with  turrets  and  angles,  and  heavy 
walls  and  battlements,  from  which  the  guns  were  frowning. 
These  words  will  give  you  no  idea  of  the  grandeur  of  the 
scene.  The  pile  of  rock  is  four  hundred  feet  high,  and  on  it  is 
the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  so  old  that  its  origin  is  lost  in  ob- 
scurity. On  either  side  of  the  castle  is  a  park  of  walks  and 
flowers  stretching  for  a  long  distance.  In  this  castle  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots  once  resided,  and  many  other  sovereigns, 
and  here  James  I.  of  England,  her  son,  was  born,  and  when 
only  eight  days  old  was  let  down  in  a  basket  from  a  window 
to  escape  his  enemies. 

"  After  breakfast  I  went  out  to  find  Sir  James  Y.  Simp- 
son, but  on  reaching  his  house  found  him  out,  I  called 
again  at  2  o'clock,  and  on  sending  in  my  card  was  invited 
into  the  dining-room,  where  the  professor  was  seated,  sur- 
rounded by  a  number  of  guests,  at  lunch.  He  received  me 
very  kindly.     His  work  is  a  wonderful  one,  and  he  is  a  most 

earnest  Christian.     At  the  table   I  met   Mrs.   A ,   from 

South  Carolina,  who  told  me  of  very  pleasant  lodgings. 
These  I  engaged  at  once.  On  Saturday  we  drove  out,  it  was 
so  bright  and  beautiful.  We  drove  by  the  castle,  down  the 
Highgate  and  Canongate,  so  famous  in  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
works,  to  Holyrood  Palace,  and  the  Abbey,  now  in  ruins. 
On  reaching  our  lodgings  I  found  a  letter  from  Rev.  Dr, 
Ramsay,  the  Dean  of  Edinburgh,  inviting  me  to  preach  in  St. 
John's  Church  on  Sunday  morning,  and  soon  after  the  Dean 


1 62  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

called.  He  was  very  cordial,  and  offered  to  loan  us  books, 
and  in  a  half  hour  after  he  left  sent  us  eight  or  ten  volumes. 
He  also  invited  us  to  tea  at  8  o'clock  the  next  evening. 
Thus  closed  our  first  day  in  Scotland.  All  round  us  the  scenes 
are  full  of  the  greatest  novelty  and  crowded  with  historical 
interest. 

"  Sunday  Morning,  August  lo. — This  is  a  beautiful  day, 
and   so   cool   we  are  clothed  in  winter  wraps.      Sir  James 

Simpson   called  at   lo  o'clock  to  see   M .     We  showed 

him  your  photographs,  and  grandpapa's  and  grandmamma's, 
and  he  said  grandmamma  was  just  like  his  mother-in-law,  and 
took  it  home  to  show  it  to  his  family.  He  is  very  kind  and 
affectionate.  At  a  quarter  to  ii  Dean  Ramsay,  with  his 
niece,  called  to  take  us  to  St.  John's  Chapel,  where  I  preached. 
Inside  the  vestibule  we  found  a  vestryman  standing  by  a  large 
alms-basin,  in  which  some  gold  and  silver  had  been  placed  by 
the  people  as  they  came  in.  The  Dean's  assistant  read  part 
of  the  service,  and  the  Dean  the  rest,  except  the  second  lesson, 
which  I  read.  I  preached  to  a  very  attentive  audience  from 
St.  John  21  :  24. 

"  After  service  I  went  to  Sir  James  Simpson's  to  lunch 
by  invitation,  and  to  go  with  him  at  2  o'clock  to  hear  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Guthrie  preach.  Professor  Guernsey,  of 
Dresden,  physician  to  the  Princess  of  Saxony,  went  with  us. 
Arriving  at  the  church  we  found  a  crowd  seeking  admission 
through  a  gate.  The  pew-holders  are  admitted  first  by  tick- 
ets, and  the  strangers  sent  in  the  school-room  below.  After 
the  services  begin  the  strangers  are  allowed  to  come  up  and 
take  any  vacant  seat  or  stand  in  the  aisles. 

"  At  2.15  Dr.  Guthrie  entered  in  gown  and  bands.  The 
church  was  now  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity,  holding  about 
twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  persons.  Dr.  Guthrie  is  a  tall 
man,  about  fifty-five  years  old,  a  most  expressive  face, 
thin  hair  turning  gray.  His  sermon  was  from  Isaiah  59  :  i. 
He  began  by  an  introduction  of  great  beauty,   drawn  from 


FIRST   VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  163 

nature,  to  show  the  mutability  of  everything  earthly  in  con- 
trast with  the  unchangeableness  of  God.  This  occupied  fif- 
teen minutes.  Then  he  preached  for  forty-five  minutes  longer 
in  a  strain  of  great  beauty  and  pathos.  There  was  no  argu- 
ment, but  most  beautiful  imagery  drawn  from  nature,  and 
thrilling  anecdotes,  and  pathetic  appeals  to  the  feelings.  He 
is  full  of  animation  and  gesture  and  deep  feeling.  If  he  has 
any  fault,  it  is  an  excess  of  metajJhor  and  illustration,  but  he 
is  a  master  over  the  feelings  of  the  human  heart.  After  the 
sermon  Professor  Simpson  took  me  in  and  introduced  me  to 
Dr.  Guthrie,  and  he  invited  me  to  dine  with  him  to-morrow 

at  5  o'clock.     We  walked  home,  and  Professor  S showed 

me  many  places  of  interest — the  house  where  Hume  wrote  his 
history  of  England  ;  the  building  where  the  Solemn  League 
and  Covenant  was  signed  ;  John  Knox's  house  ;  the  place 
where  the  Heart  of  Mid-Lothian  stood,  and  where  Oliver 
Cromwell  lodged.  We  had  a  beautiful  walk  to  our  lodgings 
by  Sir  Walter  Scott's  monument  and  Mr.  Pitt's  statue,  and 
many  other  interesting  spots  which  I  cannot  now  name. 

"At  8  we  went  to  Dean  Ramsay's,  and  enjoyed  our 
visit  very  much  ;  he  has  two  nieces  living  with  him,  and 
a  brother,  an  admiral  in  the  British  navy.  The  Dean  has  a 
very  intelligent  Skye  terrier.  He  told  us  that  when  he  had 
family  prayers  the  dog  would  invariably  jump  up  and  go  to 
the  door  the  moment  the  Dean  began  the  benediction,  and 
stand  there  waiting  most  patiently  for.  the  footman  to  open 
the  door.  He  knew  at  once  when  the  words  were  spoken  ! 
We  enjoyed  the  pictures  and  books  greatly.  The  Dean  was 
greatly  surprised  to  find  that  fine  photographs  could  be  taken 
in  New  York  !  His  residence  is  only  a  few  doors  from  our 
lodgings.  This  morning  he  sent  us  his  photograph,  a  print 
of  St.  John's  Chapel,  and  more  books.  You  know  he  is  the 
author  of  '  Anecdotes  of  Scottish  Life  and  Character  '  and 
other  books,  and  he  has  presented  us  with  copies  of  them. 


164  GEORGE   DAVID    CUMMINS. 

G will  be  interested  in  the  *  Anecdotes  ' — it  has  the  story 

of  *  Pickle  '  in  it. 

**  Atigust  11. — This  morning  I  went  to  the  post-office, 
and  received  your  precious  letter.  I  am  much  interested  in 
the  beautiful  articles  made  here  of  wood,  and  painted  in  the 
clan  tartan  colors.  The  vases  are  lovely.  The  small  fruits 
are  now  in  perfection,  and  far  surpass  ours  ;  strawberries  of 
immense  size,  raspberries  as  large  as  small  plums,  and  goose- 
berries of  the  same  size,  and  very  fine  nectarines. 

"  Admiral  Ramsay  called  to  see  us  this  afternoon.  At 
4.30  I  took  a  cab  and  drove  about  two  miles  to  Dr.  Guthrie's 
to  dinner.  He  lives  in  a  very  sweet  home  near  the  suburbs, 
and  has  a  small  lawn  and  many  flowers  around  it.  I  met  two 
of  the  elders  of  Dr.  Guthrie's  church,  and  the  Rev.  Prof. 
La  Harpe  and  his  wife,  from  Geneva.  We  had  a  very  pleas- 
ant dinner.  Dr.  Guthrie  is  most  genial  and  cordial  in  his 
manners,  so  much  like  a  Southern  gentleman,  and  is  full  of 
humor  and  anecdote.  Hugh  Miller  was  one  of  the  official 
men  in  his  church.  Mrs.  Guthrie  sent  mamma  some  beauti- 
ful flowers,  and  gave  me  a  photograph  of  the  doctor.  I 
walked  back  to  our  lodgings,  a  distance  of  two  and  a  half 
miles,  everywhere  attracted  by  the  curious  sights  and  places 
in  the  '  Old  Town.'  We  enjoy  very  much  our  present  mode 
of  living.     We  occupy  two  large   rooms   on   the   first   floor, 

and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T ,  from  South  Carolina,  two  others. 

Already  they  have  ma.de  themselves  acquainted  with  us,  and 
we  find  them  very  pleasant,  refined,  and  intelligent.  I  ought 
to  tell  you  of  the  Highlanders  we  see  sometimes  in  the 
street,  wearing  so  strange  a  dress  :  striped  stockings  reaching 
to  the  knee,  a  plaited  '  kilt '  coming  down  nearly  to  the  knee, 
and  a  '  sporan  '  hanging  in  front,  made  of  goat's  hair.  A 
loose  jacket,  a  Highland  '  bonnet, '  and  a  large  sharp  knife 
kept  in  a  case  fastened  to  the  stocking,  completes  their  pictur- 
esque costume.  We  drove  out  this  morning  to  do  some  shop- 
ping, and  bought  some  beautiful  specimens  of  the  clan  tartan 


FIA'ST    VISIT    TO  EUROPE.  1 65 

wood-work.  We  wish  to  take  home  photographic  views  of 
the  most  interesting  places  we  visit,  especially  those  of  his- 
toric interest,  so  that  you  will  all  be  able  to  enjoy  them  with 
us.  I  bought  mamma  a  bunch  of  heather  from  the  market 
yesterday,  and  she  has  pressed  some  of  it  for  you. 

"  August  12. — I  must  now  close  my  long  letter,  and 
will  mail  it  for  the  steamer  City  of  New  York,  which  leaves 
Liverpool  to-morrow. 

"  We  get  full  accounts,  through  the  London  Times,  of  all 
that  is  transpiring  in  our  own  land.  How  we  should  rejoice 
if  this  terrible  war  could  be  ended  !  The  people  here  talk  con- 
stantly about  it.  And  now  good- by,  my  darlings.  We  pray 
constantly  for  you  that  God  will  guard  you  from  all  evil,  and 
make  you  his  own  children  by  his  renewing  grace.  Love 
to  all  the  dear  ones. 

"  Ever  your  loving  father,  George  D.  Cummins." 

"  Edinburgh,  August  13,  1862. 
"  Mv  Precious  Children  :  This  morning  I  went  out  for 
a  stroll.  I  went  first  to  visit  the  monument  to  Sir  Walter 
Scott  erected  by  the  people  of  Edinburgh,  and  situated  in  a 
most  beautiful  part  of  the  city  surrounded  by  gardens  filled 
with  flowers,  now  in  the  height  of  their  beauty.  Sir  Walter 
Scott  is  enshrined  most  deeply  in  the  hearts  of  the  Scottish 
people,  as  the  one  who  has  done  so  much  to  invest  their  his- 
tory with  such  intense  interest  by  his  wondrous  writings. 
They  regard  him  as  holding  a  place  second  only  to  Shake- 
speare. Many  of  the  scenes  of  his  works  are  laid  in  Edin- 
burgh, which  he  calls  '  mine  own  romantic  town,'  and  here 
he  was  born  and  educated.  The  monument  is  a  worthy  one 
to  his  memory.  It  is  a  Gothic  structure  of  stone  rising  two 
hundred  feet  high.  It  is  open  below,  and  in  the  centre  of  its 
Gothic  arch  is  the  beautiful  statue  of  Sir  Walter,  in  white 
marble.  The  figure  is  larger  than  life,  and  is  in  a  sitting 
posture,  holding  a  manuscript  in  one  hand  and  a  pen  in  the 


1 66  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Other  ;  his  favorite  dog,  so  constantly  his  companion  in  life, 
is  sculptured  by  his  side,  looking  up  into  his  master's  face. 
The  likeness  of  both  is  said  to  be  excellent.  The  monument 
was  begun  in  1840,  and  cost  $75,000. 

"  From  this  point  the  view  around  you  on  every  side  is 
very  beautiful.  Princes  Street,  the  chief  street  in  Edinburgh, 
is  opposite,  and  before  you  the  beautiful  public  gardens, 
once  a  rocky  ravine  running  through  the  very  heart  of  the 
city,  but  now  one  of  its  chief  ornaments.  Looking  around 
you  see  Calton  Hill,  with  the  monuments  to  Lord  Nelson 
and  Dugald  Stewart ;  St.  Andrew's  Square,  with  Lord  Mel- 
ville's monument ;  and  before  you  rises  the  '  Old  Town  '  with 
its  quaint  houses,  two  or  three  hundred  years  old,  crowned 
by  the  grand  old  castle  towering  above  everything  else. 

' '  After  gazing  upon  this  scene,  I  went  into  the  Royal  In- 
stitution near  by,  an  imposing  Grecian  building,  containing 
the  Scottish  Antiquarian  Museum.  This,  as  you  may  sup- 
pose from  the  name,  is  a  place  of  great  interest,  and  I  found 
it  crowded  with  curious  relics  of  the  past.  I  passed  through 
it  hastily,  as  I  intend  visiting  it  more  leisurely  with  mamma. 
I  saw  the  pulpit  from  which  John  Knox  preached,  and  which 
formerly  stood  in  the  old  St.  Giles's  Church  ;  also  the  first 
Bible  printed  in  Edinburgh  in  1579,  and  a  flag  of  the  Cove- 
nanters, with  many  relics  of  Scottish  history.  Besides  these 
I  was  very  deeply  interested  in  several  mummies  taken  from 
a  tomb  in  Egypt,  and  presented  by  the  finder  himself  to  this 
museum.  They  are  just  as  the  bodies  were  deposited  in  the 
tomb,  with  the  wrappings  partly  removed,  and  had  lain  thus 
three  thousand  years  !  In  one  case  were  the  mummified 
bodies  of  two  children  ;  the  wrappings  had  been  removed 
from  one,  leaving  the  body  seen,  discolored  but  with  the 
outline  perfect.     I  saw  also  the  mummies  of  cats  and  birds. 

"  After  this  I  visited  the  hall  where  the  Free  Church 
Assembly  was  in  session,  and  remained  a  few  minutes. 

"  Coming  back  I  found  mamma  ready  to  go  out,  and  we 


FIRST    VISIT   TO  EUROPE.  1 6/ 

took  a  cab  and  drove  to  the  Scott  monument  and  several 
other  places  of  interest,  and  returned  by  the  castle. 

"  After  dinner  I  went  to  call  on  the  Bishop  of  Edinburgh, 
Dr.  Terrot,  and  found  him  very  feeble  and  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  a  stroke  of  paralysis.  He  spoke  to  me  of  Bishop 
Meade,  and  remembered  well  his  visit  to  England. 

"  Then,  by  special  invitation  from  Sir  James  Simpson,  I 
dined  again  at  his  house  to  meet  two  Scotch  clergymen,  one 
of  them  from  the  Highlands.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  dinner  ; 
the  whole  conversation  turned  upon  religious  topics  alone, 

"  At  8.30  o'clock  we  went  to  the  '  Carubber's  Close 
Mission, '  a  mission  in  behalf  of  the  neglected  classes  in  the 
'  closes  '  and  '  wynds  '  of  the  city — a  work  in  which  Sir 
James  Simpson  feels  a  deep  interest.  At  their  earnest  re- 
quest 1  addressed  the  meeting, 

"  Friday^  August  15. — Mamma  felt  more  comfortable 
this  morning,  and  I  went  out  for  a  stroll.  I  went  first  to  the 
Ragged  Schools  founded  by  Dr.  Guthrie,  as  I  felt  a  good 
deal  of  interest  to  see  the  working  of  them.  The  one  1  visited 
is  called  the  Original  Ragged  School,  being  the  first  founded 
in  Edinburgh.  It  has  three  departments,  a  boys',  girls',  and 
an  infant  class,  and  numbers  in  all  about  two  hundred  and 
seyenty  children.  They  come  from  the  very  lowest  and  most 
degraded  classes  of  society,  which  in  European  cities  are  even 
below  those  with  us. 

"  I  went  through  the  dormitories,  eating-rooms,  and 
bathing-rooms.  On  arriving  in  the  morning  each  child  takes 
off  his  or  her  clothing,  deposits  it  in  a  bag,  washes  and  bathes 
the  whole  body,  and  puts  on  a  suit  of  clothes  furnished  by 
the  institution.  They  make  all  their  own  clothes  and  shoes, 
and  also  paper  boxes  for  sale,  being  taught  by  workmen. 
Over  one  hundred  of  the  children  live  all  the  time  in  the  insti- 
tution, having  no  other  home.  It  is  a  noble  charity,  and  costs 
about  1 1 0,000  a  year  to  support  it.  The  school  is  situated  in 
Ramsay's   Lane,    called  after  the  poet  Ramsay,    who   lived 


l68  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 


there,  and  leads  into  the  Lawn  Market,  into  which  I  turned. 
This  is  the  place  where  stood  the  old  Tolbooth,  or  '  Heart  of 
Mid-Lothian,'  a  jail  of  the  city  in  the  olden  time,  and  ren- 
dered so  interesting  by  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novel,  '  The  Heart 
of  Mid-Lothian,'  which  we  are  now  reading.  Passing  down 
Lawn  Market,  I  came  to  the  High  Kirk,  or  Cathedral  of  St. 
Giles,  once  a  Romish  cathedral,  and  containing  forty  altars  ! 
It  is  several  centuries  old.  Here  occurred  the  famous  scene 
of  Jenny  Geddes  throwing  the  stool  at  the  head  of  the  dean 
in  1637,  when  Charles  I.  attempted  to  introduce  the  Lit- 
urgy of  the  Church  of  England  into  the  Scotch  Church. 
Grandpapa  will  tell  you  all  about  it.  The  cathedral  now 
includes  three  churches  belonging  to  the  Kirk  of  Scotland, 
and  one  of  them,  the  oldest,  is  the  church  where  John  Knox 
preached  twelve  years,  and  he  is  buried  beneath  the  pavement, 
with  nothing  to  mark  the  spot  but  one  red  brick  among  the 
paving-stones  ! 

"  The  High  Street  of  Edinburgh  begins  at  St.  Giles's,  and 
I  walked  down  it  to  John  Knox's  house,  which  stands  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Canongate. 

*'  The  house  is  a  very  quaint  old  building  of  stone, 
erected  in  1490 — two  years  before  Columbus  discovered  Atnerica 
— and  was  set  apart  for  his  residence  by  the  authorities  in 
1559,  soon  after  the  Reformation.  Just  above  the  ground- 
floor,  or  first  story,  which  is  low,  is  an  inscription  in 
Roman  letters,  thus  :  LVFE.  GOD.  ABOVE.  AL.  AND. 
YOVR.  NICHTBOVR.  AS.  YI.  SELF.;  that  is,  'Love 
God  above  all,  and  your  neighbor  as  yourself. '  There  is  also 
an  antique  sculpture  in  front  representing  Moses  at  the  burn- 
ing bush.  I  did  not  go  into  the  house  to  examine  its  curiosi- 
ties, but  left  this  for  another  day. 

"  I  will  close  my  letter  now.  Give  our  love  to  all  the  dear 
ones  at  the  cottage. 

"  Your  own  loving  father,  Geo.  D,  Cummins." 


FIRST    VISIT    TO   EUROPE.  1 69 

"  Edinburgh,  Saturday  Evening,  August  16,  1862. 

"  My  Darling  Children  :  This  afternoon  I  left  mamma 
for  a  little  while,  and  took  a  walk  in  the  '  Old  Town. '  The 
streets  were  almost  filled  with  people  :  this  seems  to  be  a  cus- 
tom with  the  people  of  the  lower  classes,  and  perhaps  it  is 
caused  by  their  living  in  such  narrow  '  closes, '  or  '  wynds  '  as 
they  are  also  called.  You  enter  by  a  narrow  archway,  and  this 
opens  into  a  court,  where  the  houses  run  up  from  five  to  ten 
stories  high,  occupied  to  the  very  top,  sometimes  not  ten  feet 
apart.  This  is,  as  I  have  said  before,  the  old  part  of  the  city, 
which  was  once  surrounded  by  walls,  and  the  people  were  re- 
quired to  build  within  the  walls  ;  hence  these  '  closes  '  and 
tall  houses.  The  Canongate  was  the  residence  of  the  nobility, 
and  the  Scottish  Court  was  held  in  Holyrood  Palace,  which 
is  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  Canongate  Street.  I  saw  a  num- 
ber of  the  houses  where  the  nobles  lived  hundreds  of  years 
ago,  and  the  old  Canongate  jail  and  church.  In  my  walk 
I  passed  in  front  of  the  Palace  and  Abbey,  and  up  the  hill  to 
Burns' s  monument. 

"  Sunday^  August  17. — This  is,  for  a  wonder,  a  bright, 
beautiful  day.  I  declined  Dean  Ramsay's  invitation  to  preach 
again  in  St.  John's  Church,  and  stayed  with  mamma.  At  6.30 
P.M.  I  went  to  speak  at  a  great  meeting  in  the  assembly  hall 
of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland.  For  two  years  past  a  very 
remarkable  revival  has  been  in  progress  in  Scotland,  and  ser- 
vices have  been  held  similar  to  the  union  prayer-meetings 
in  our  country.  Since  they  began,  Sir  James  Simpson  has 
become  an  earnest  Christian,  and  his  heart  is  full  of  the 
work.  Notwithstanding  his  intense  absorption  in  his  profes- 
sional duties,  and  the  number  of  his  patients,  he  goes  to 
these  meetings  and  takes  a  prominent  part  in  them. 

"  The  meetings  on  Sunday  evenings,  composed  of  all 
denominations,  are  held  in  a  beautiful  hall  capable  of  holding 
three  thousand  persons,  and  on  this  evening  was  crowded  to 
its    utmost   capacity.       Sir   James    Simpson   presided,    and 


lyO  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

opened  the  meeting  by  an  address  of  nearly  half  an  hour. 
He  was  followed  by  Captain  Mackenzie,  of  the  Royal  Navy, 
and  then  I  spoke.  The  meeting  was  one  of  great  interest, 
and  I  hope  a  blessing  to  the  souls  of  many.  Sir  James  intro- 
duced me  as  coming  from  the  United  States,  and  all  Ameri- 
cans now  attract  attention,  as  the  people  here  take  a  very 
deep  interest  in  the  troubles  in  our  country, 

''Monday.,  August  i8. — To-day  is  another  bright  day, 
which  is  something  to  be  recorded  in  this  country.  Mamma 
is  better,  and  I  v/alked  to  Calton  Hill,  This  hill  is  about 
four  hundred  feet  high,  and  stands  at  the  end  of  Princes 
Street,  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  city.  On  its  top  are 
monuments  to  Nelson,  Dugald  Stewart,  and  to  Playfair,  the 
mathematician.  From  this  hill  is  beheld  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  views  I  ever  looked  upon  :  the  city  on  one  side, 
with  the  grand  old  castle  rising  in  the  centre,  and  its  gardens 
and  monuments  and  public  buildings  ;  and  back  of  you  Salis- 
bury Crags,  with  Arthur's  Seat  rising  boldly  and  abruptly, 
with  Holyrood  Palace  at  their  base,  while  on  the  other  side 
you  see  the  Frith  of  Forth,  and  the  hills  in  the  County  of 
Fife  beyond. 

"  Tuesday.,  August  19. — To-day  I  visited  the  National 
Gallery  of  Painting  and  spent  two  hours  there.  There  I  saw 
a  number  of  portraits  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  and  other 
famous  people." 

"Edinburgh,  September  5,  1862. 

"  My  Precious  Children  :  I  wrote  by  the  last  steamer 
to  dear  grandmamma,  telling  her  how  ill  mamma  has  been.  She 
is  now  better,  and  my  heart  is  filled  with  thankfulness  to  God 
for  his  great  goodness  towards  her.  Mamma's  illness  will, 
however,  compel  us  to  change  our  plans.  Instead  of  going 
to  Germany,  up  the  Rhine  to  Switzerland,  and  from  thence 
to  Paris,  we  will  go  (D.V.)  about  October  ist  to  Paris,  leaving 
London  to  the  last.  We  received  a  letter  yesterday  from 
your  uncle  T inviting  us  to  stay  with    them  in  Paris, 


FIRST    VISIT   TO  EUROPE.  IJl 

which  we  hope  to  do.  They  are  still  at  the  sea-side,  near 
Cherbourg,  at  a  place  called  Leon-sur-Mer,  and  will  return  to 
Paris  the  ist  October. 

"  We  expect  to  sail  on  the  22d  of  October,  probably  in 
the  City  of  Baltimore,  a  fast  steamer,  and  our  hope  is  to  reach 
New  York  by  November  3d,  and  go  as  soon  as  possible  to 
Virginia  for  you. 

"  Our  hearts  have  been  filled  with  sadness  this  morning 
in  reading  of  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  on  the  29th 
August,  and  of  the  fearful  loss  of  life.  Away  from  our  native 
land,  we  can  see  more  vividly  than  ever  the  misery  of  this 
fearful  war,  and  can  only  pray  to  God  to  put  an  end  to  it  by 
his  merciful  providence. 

We  have  been  sorely  disappointed  in  not  receiving 
letters  from  you.  How  thankful  we  are  that  the  recent  battles 
have  been  so  far  away  from  Jefferson  County  ! 

"  As  mamma  improves  I  hope  to  make  short  excursions  to 
Melrose  Abbey  and  Abbotsford,  to  Roslyn,  and  to  the  High- 
lands, 

"  Our  prayers  are  constantly  offered  for  you.  May  God 
keep  you  in  safety,  and  restore  us  to  you  in  his  own  good 
time  !     Love  to  all. 

"  Your  loving  father,  Geo.  D.  Cummins." 

The  following  letter  was  written  to  his  sister 
Sarah  : 

"  Edinburgh,  September  19,  1862. 

"  My  Dearest  Sister  :  Our  accounts  from  home  are  so 
terrible  and  distressing  that  it  is  pleasant  to  hear  from  one  of 
our  loved  relatives  who  are  not  surrounded  by  the  horrors 
of  war.  Our  latest  news  is  that  Jackson  is  really  in  Mary- 
land !  This  has  cut  off  our  communication  with  the  chil- 
dren, as  the  Confederate  army  will  prevent  all  trains  passing 
on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

"  You  will  be  surprised  to  receive  another  letter  from 


172  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Edinburgh,  but  we  are  detained  here  by  E 's  illness,  and 

shall  have  to  remain  some  time  longer.  Of  course  all  our 
plans  have  been  changed,  and  we  have  abandoned  the  hope 
of  making  anything  like  a  tour  on  the  Continent.     Our  utmost 

hope  now  is  that  E may  regain  her  strength  in  time  to 

allow  us  to  make  a  visit  of  a  week  or  ten  days  to  her  brother 
in  Paris  before  returning  home, 

"  We  expect  to  sail  from  Liverpool  on  the  2 2d  or  the 
29th  of  October.  We  must  try  to  be  patient,  however,  and 
await  the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father. 

"  Our  long  sojourn  in  Edinburgh  has  made  me  very  fa- 
miliar with  this  most  interesting  city.     Since  E began  to 

improve  I  have  made  two  excursions,  and  hope  to  make  others. 

"  On  Wednesday  I  took  the  train  to  Hawthornden,  about 
seven  miles  from  town,  a  beautiful  spot,  once  the  home  of  the 
poet  Drummond,  the  friend  of  Shakespeare.  It  is  a  place  of 
rare  loveliness  on  the  banks  of  the  little  river  Esk,  which 
runs  through  banks  a  hundred  feet  high,  wooded  to  the  top 
with  beautiful  shrubbery.  Along  the  margin  of  this  stream  I 
walked  for  a  mile  on  a  narrow  path,  until  I  came  to  Roslyn 
Castle  and  Chapel.  The  castle  is  partly  in  ruins,  and  is  of 
very  great  age,  and  the  ponderous  stones  and  walls  speak 
of  centuries  *  long  ago.' 

"  The  chapel  is,  however,  the  place  of  chief  interest.  It 
is  a  Gothic  building  very  richly  carved  within  and  without, 
and  was  built  in  1446,  was  defaced  by  a  mob  from  Edin- 
burgh at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  in  1688,  and  restored  in 
the  next  century. 

"  I  rode  back  to  Edinburgh  in  the  afternoon  on  the  top 
of  the  stage-coach,  and  enjoyed  the  scenery  very  much. 
Yesterday  (Thursday)  I  rode  out  to  Dalkeith  Park,  one  of 
the  residences  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  one  of  the  richest 
noblemen  in  the  kingdom.  This  family  is  directly  descended 
from  the  famous  Duke  of  Monmouth  who  was  executed  for 
conspiring   against   his     uncle   James   II.   of  England,   and 


FIUST    VISIT   TO  EUROPE.  1/3 

whose  story  Macaulay  tells  so  graphically.  The  park  in- 
cludes 1 200  acres  of  beautiful  groves  and  walks,  with  twenty- 
five  acres  appropriated  to  gardens.  I  went  first  to  the  palace, 
which  is  full  of  valuable  portraits  of  the  most  famous 
characters  in  English  history,  by  such  artists,  as  Van  Dyke, 
Reynolds,  Sir  G.  Kneller,  and  others.  Among  them  are 
portraits  of  James  I.,  Charles  II.,  Mary  Queen  of  Scots, 
Lady  Arabella  Stuart,  William  and  Mary  of  Orange  when 
children,  Claverhouse,  and  the  Duke  of  Alva,  besides  land- 
scapes by  Claude  Lorraine,  pictures  by  Rubens,  Salvator 
Rosa,  and  others.  There  is  a  clock  wiich  belonged  to  Louis 
XIV.,  a  candelabra  of  Napoleon  I.,  and  a  mirror  of  the 
Duke  of  Monmouth,  with  a  tortoise-shell  frame.  Three  times 
this  palace  has  been  the  temporary  abode  of  the  monarch, 
Charles  11.  in  1633,  George  IV.  in  1822,  and  the  Queen 
and  Prince  Albert  in  1842.  I  was  shown  the  bedroom  and 
dressing-room  occupied  by  the  latter,  which  are  kept  as  they 
were  when  occupied.  The  mattress  and  pillow-covers  are  of 
white  satin.  Our  republican  extravagance  has  not  yet  reached 
this  height  ! 

"  From  the  palace  I  went  to  the  gardens,  which  are  not 
shown  to  strangers.  As  I  before  said,  they  occupy  twenty- 
five  acres,  and  are  very  wonderful.  The  flowers  are  chiefly 
in  borders,  two  and  three  hundred  feet  long  ;  there  are  twenty 
hot-houses  of  immense  size  ;  one  for  peaches,  211  feet  long  ; 
one  for  apricots,  same  length  ;  nine  for  grapes  ;  one  for  pine- 
apples, 200  feet  long  ;  then  one  house  alone  for  geraniums, 
one  for  fuchsias,  one  for  the  various  varieties  of  heath,  and 
several  for  tropical  plants.  And  yet  this  is  but  one  of  the 
duke's  residences,  his  chief  one  being  Drumlanrig  Castle, 
farther  south  in  Scotland,  besides  others  and  a  palace  in 
London. 

"  Saturday  Mornings  Sept.  20. — I  have  kept  my  letter 
open  that  I  might  see  if  the  Cunard  steamer,  now  due,  brought 


174  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

any  important  news  from  home,  but  there  is  no  account  of 
her  arrival  in  the  papers. 

"  We  know,  however,  that  Jackson  is  at  Frederick  City, 
Maryland,  with  a  large  army,  and  of  course  this  cuts  off  all 
communication  between  Baltimore  and  Virginia.     I  wish  you 

to  write  to  Mr.  S ,  and  ask  if  there  is  any  way  left  to  get 

a  letter  to  the  children.     Ask  him  to  reply  to  you,  and  if  so, 
you  can  send  this  letter  to  them.     E is  improving,  I  trust. 

"  We  hope  to  leave  Edinburgh  about  the  4th  October, 
and  go  on  to  Paris,  leaving  ourselves  ten  or  twelve  days  in 
London. 

"  May  our  merciful  heavenly  Father  preserve  us  all  in 

safety  to  meet  again  in  our  own  home  !     E joins  me  in 

love. 

"  Your  loving  brother,  Geo.  D.  Cummins." 

Dr.  Cummins  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  hope  of 
visiting  Paris  or  London.  His  wife  did  not  regain  her 
strength,  and  after  waiting  in  Edinburgh  as  long  as 
possible,  they  sailed  for  the  United  States  the  middle 
of  November. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

RETURN   HOME. 

"  I  am  with  you  alway." 
"  They  cried    unto    the  Lord    in   their   trouble,  and  he    delivered 
them  out  of  their  distresses." — Psalm  107  :  6. 

Aged  40. 

IN  returning  to  this  country,  in  the  City  of  Wash- 
ington, Dr.  Cummins  encountered  a  fearful 
storm.  The  steamer  was  sixteen  days  making  the 
passage.  The  captain  was  one  of  the  most  experi- 
enced commanders,  having  been  nineteen  years  on 
the  route  between  New  York  and  Liverpool. 

The  terror  of  the  passengers  was  fearful  to  wit- 
ness. The  screams  of  the  women  and  children  and 
the  fear  and  despair  of  the  men,  the  shrieks  of  the 
wind  through  the  bare  spars  and  rigging  of  the  ves- 
sel, the  loud  notes  of  the  captain's  tritmpet  as  he  gave 
orders  which  could  be  heard  above  the  noise  of  the 
fierce  blast  by  the  faithful  sailors,  the  crash  of  a 
broken  mast,  or  the  rush  of  water  over  the  sides, 
breaking  away  the  bulwarks,  continued  day  after  day 
and  night  after  night,  and  were  terrible  to  hear  and 
bear.  The  only  light  was  in  the  stateroom  of  Dr. 
Cummins,  who  was  allowed  one  that  he  might  ad- 
minister medicine  to  his  wife.  The  night  and  day 
were  almost  alike,  for  the  fury  of  the  storm  was  such 
as  to  darken  completely  the  port-holes,  so  that  a  can- 


17^  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS 

<ile  was  needed  from  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
to  nine  o'clock  the  next  day.  Dr.  Cummins  was  re- 
quested to  hold  services  for  those  on  board.  The 
rolling  of  the  vessel  was  so  great  that  even  the  prac- 
tised seamen  could  not  walk  at  all  steadily,  indeed 
could  scarcely  keep  their  feet.  The  service  held  in 
the  main  cabin  was  a  most  solemn  one.  A  little  table 
was  bound  with  cords  to  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  sa- 
loon ;  on  this  were  firmly  tied  two  candlesticks  with 
burning  candles  in  them,  and  by  their  side  lay  a  Bible 
and  Prayer-Book.  The  clergyman  was  obliged  to  sit 
on  a  chair,  which  was  also  lashed  to  the  pillar. 
Around  him,  as  close  as  they  could  get,  sat,  on  the 
floor  of  the  cabin,  the  women  and  children,  while 
around  the  room  and  at  the  door  stood  or  crouched 
as  well  as  they  could  the  men.  Moans  from  one  and 
another  broke  the  hush  that  was  over  that  little  assem- 
blage. The  comforting  and  helping  service  for  a 
storm  at  sea  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Prayer-Book 
was  read  with  deep  feeling,  and  a  hymn  was  sung, 
which  was  followed  by  a  few  sentences  of  encourage- 
ment, and  the  minister  and  his  hearers  dispersed. 
They  were  of  ^11  creeds — Roman  Catholics,  Protes- 
tants, and  Jews — yet  in  this  time  of  awful  peril  they 
gathered  together  to  pray  to  the  one  God  for  protec- 
tion. 

The  scenes  that  took  place  on  board  that  ship 
were  rarely  strange.  Night  after  night  the  quiet  of 
the  sick-room  was  interrupted  by  poor  weak  women 
coming  to  the  minister  to  "  save  them"  or  to  "  pray 
for  them."  In  the  soft  tongue  of  their  loved  France, 
or  in  the  harsher  tones  of  our  mother-country,  they 
threw  themselves  on  their  knees  and    besought   the 


RETURlSf  HOME.  \'J'J 


minister's  help.  Earnestly  and  often  he  prayed  with 
those  who  had  no  Rock  on  which  to  lean  in  that  hour 
of  peril,  and  constantly  did  he  in  many  ways  comfort 
and  sustain  the  timid.  And  so  the  storm  wore  itself 
out.  Its  fury  spent  itself.  A  storm  long  to  be  re- 
membered by  all  on  board.  The  captain  told  Dr. 
Cummins  that  "  he  thought  his  ship  must  go  down 
cver>-  moment,  and  no  life-boat  could  live  for  a  minute 
in  such  a  sea."  For  four  days  and  nights  he  had 
himself  lashed  to  the  mainmast,  that  he  might  give  his 
orders  to  the  faithful,  gallant  crew.  Here  he  was  fed 
and  stimulated  that  his  strength  might  not  fail.  After 
the  fury  of  the  tempest  had  spent  itself  he  gave  the 
ship  up  to  the  command  of  the  second  officer,  and 
Avas  taken  to  the  hospital  blind  and  lame  and  other- 
wise injured  by  exposul-e  ! 

When  the  ship  rode  once  more  on  smooth  waters, 
a  thanksgiving  service  was  held  on  board.  What  a 
contrast  to  the  first  !  And  yet  when  the  gallant  ves- 
sel rode  into  the  harbor,  the  gayest  laugh  and  merri- 
est jokes  came  from  the  lips  of  the  thoughtless  opera 
troupe,  who  in  the  hour  of  dire  distress  vowed  un- 
wavering fealty  to  that  God  who  holds  the  waters  in 
the  hollow  of  his  hand  ! 

During  all  these  sad  months  of  separation  from  his 
children,  Dr.  Cummins  had  failed  to  receive  letters 
from  home.  Almost  immediately  after  he  arrived  in 
England,  Stonewall  Jackson  again  broke  up  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio  Railroad,  so  that  no  communication 
could  be  had  with  Baltimore,  and  thus  no  letters 
could  reach  the  steamers.  When,  therefore,  he  set 
foot  once  more  on  his  native  shores,  his  heart  was 
filled  with  sad  forebodings.     Yet  very  earnestly  did 


178  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

he  try  to  cast  all  his  care  upon  God.  The  invalid  wife 
was  tenderly  placed  in  a  special  car,  through  the  lov- 
ing care  of  a  dear  friend  and  an  official  of  the  road, 
and  in  all  the  comfort  of  their  own  home  was  con- 
veyed to  Baltimore.  But  no  children's  voices  greeted 
them  !  No  word  had  reached  them  of  their  welfare 
since  August.  They  only  learned  that  General  Lee 
had  retreated  from  Jefferson  County,  and  had  gone  to 
Richmond.  Sad  were  the  days  and  nights  spent  by 
Dr.  Cummins.  He  had  no  heart  even  for  his  work 
when  the  fate  of  his  children  was  unknown.  Through 
the  great  kindness  of  the  same  dear  friend  who  had 
sent  on  his  own  car  to  Jersey  City  for  them,  he  was 
enabled  very  silently  and  secretly  to  go  at  night  to 
Harper's  Ferry,  where  one  of  the  best  soldiers  of  the 
army  of  the  United  States  had  command.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  very  quietly  by  which  the  anxious 
father  could  reach  his  father-in-law's  home,  about  four- 
teen miles  distant,  under  a  flag  of  truce.  After  passing 
thfe  Federal  lines,  however,  Dr.  Cummins  was  exposed 
to  great  danger  from  the  Confederate  pickets,  as  it 
was  still  night  and  very  dark.  Several  times  during 
that  memorable  ride  did  he  hear  the  click  of  the  sen- 
try's rifle  when  he  could  not  give  the  password. 
But  in  two  instances  he  was  recognized  by  his 
voice  by  those  who  had  heard  him  preach  years 
before  !  Thus  did  God  watch  over  and  keep  his 
servant  !  At  the  break  of  day  he  rode  up  on  horse- 
back to  Judge  Balch's  house,  and  with  feelings  too 
great  for  words  he  entered.  Entered  to  find  his  be- 
loved ones  all  safe.  We  have  heard  him  speak  of 
that  moment  with  such  deep  emotion  as  almost  to  pre- 
vent  utterance.       His    first    act    was   to   gather    the 


RETURN  HOME.  1/9 


family  together  and  return  fervent  thanks  to  God  for 
his  goodness  to  them  all.  The  mystery  was  then  ex- 
plained. Letters  had  been  written  regularly,  but  there 
had  been  no  mails,  and  they  were  returned  to  them  or 
lost.  The  last  that  had  been  sent  were  in  a  vessel 
which  passed  the  City  of  Washington  on  her  way 
home  ! 

The  next  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  the  little  ones 
were  taken  in  an  ambulance  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
there  received  by  the  dear  friend  who  had  waited  all 
night  in  his  car  for  them.  Their  journey  to  Baltimore 
was  safely  accomplished,  and  the  weary  invalid  was 
blessed  by  the  sight  of  her  children  after  nearly  five 
months'  separation.  It  was  a  joyful  and  thankful 
household  which  assembled  that  night  in  the  sick- 
room to  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord. 

The  next  summer  Dr.  Cummins  and  his  family  were 
at  Easthampton,  Long  Island,  and  there  the  children 
had  a  pleasant  interview  with  the  kind  general  who 
had  remembered  "  he  was  a  father  too,"  and  had  sent 
a  flag  of  truce  to  escort  the  anxious  father  to  the 
Confederate  lines.  As  the  youngest  child  sat  upon 
his  knee,  and  the  two  elder  on  each  side,  the  general 
questioned  them  merrily  about  their  residence  in 
"  Dixie,"  and  the  children  enjoyed  greatly  the  bright 
conversation,  and  were  sorry  to  have  it  end.  They 
left  Easthampton  the  next  day.  The  sea  voyage  and 
rest  from  all  excitement  and  labor,  as  well  as  the 
great  pleasure  Dr.  Cummins  had  had  in  seeing  so 
much  that  was  novel  and  interesting  in  the  "  old 
country,"  brought  back  the  needed  strength,  and  he 
was  able  to  take  up  once  more  the  heavy  duties  of 
his  parish. 


l8o  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

With  a  very  grateful  heart  he  went  through  the 
labors  of  the  winter  of  1862-3  with  only  the  aid  of  a 
reader.  He  was  strengthened  and  cheered  by  the  in- 
gathering of  that  season.  It  was  remembered  by 
many  as  the  beginning  of  the  "  new  life"  within  their 
hearts.  The  confirmation-classes  were  unusually 
large.  The  Bible-class  increased  in  numbers,  and  the 
interest  of  its  members  grew.  The  Sunday-schools 
gave  evidence  of  great  vitality,  and  the  weekly  lec- 
tures were  fully  attended,  even  by  those  belonging  to 
other  churches.  We  have  frequently  met  with  per- 
sons who  spoke  of  those  lectures  as  being  most  pre- 
cious to  their  souls,  and  how  greatly  they  had  been 
missed. 


I 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CALL  TO   SAN   FRANCISCO,  CALIFORNIA. 

"  Just  as  God  leads  me,  I  would  go  ; 

I  would  not  ask  to  choose  my  way  ; 
Content  with  what  he  will  bestow, 

Assured  he  will  not  let  me  stray. 
So  as  he  leads,  my  path  I  make, 
And  step  by  step  I  gladly  take, 

A  child  in  him  confiding." — Lampertus,  1735. 

Aged  40. 

N  December,  1862,  Dr.  Cummins  received  the  fol- 
lowing- letter  : 


"  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  December  4.  1862. 

"Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  I  wish  asbriefly  as  possible 
to  make  a  statement  to  which  I  beg  your  serious  consideration. 
It  is  one  which  has  involved  in  it,  to  a  great  degree,  the 
future  character  of  the  Church  on  the  Pacific. 

"  The  congregation  of  Grace  Church  has  recently  erected 
one  of  the  finest  church  edifices  in  the  country.  The  idea  is 
to  have  this  the  cathedral  church  of  the  diocese — '  Grace 
Cathedral  " — and  to  be  forever  the  home  of  the  bishop  when 
in  town.  This  is  to  make  it  the  head-quarters  of  the  diocese, 
and  the  leading  parish  on  the  Pacific.  I,  of  course,  cannot 
pretend  to  have  the  responsibility  of  any  charge  over  it,  as 
my  duties  and  the  length  of  my  absences  from  town  must  be 
increasing  every  year.  My  connection  with  it  is  to  be  a 
nominal  one  to  give  it  a  cathedral  character.  It  is  intended 
to  elect  a  dean  of  the  cathedral,  who  will  be  de  facto   rector 


1 82  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

and  have  the  entire  parochial  charge,  leaving  my  interest  in 
it  merely  such  participation  in  the  public  services,  when  in 
town,  as  he  and  I  may  arrange  between  us. 

"  I  regard  this  as  the  most  important  position  in  this  coun- 
try. An  empire  is  growing  up,  and  in  a  few  years  San  Fran- 
cisco will  be  the  rival  of  New  York.  The  Pacific  Railroad  will 
be  built,  and  then,  with  a  line  of  steamers  to  China  and  Japan, 
the  whole  commerce  of  the  East  must  flow  through  this  port. 
And  yet  we  have  never  been  able  to  have  here  a  man  of  firsl- 
rate  ability  in  our  Church.  The  Presbyterians  and  Meth- 
odists are  represented  by  their  ablest  men,  while  we  are  con- 
demned to  the  merest  mediocrity  ;  and  now  we  are  forming 
the  character  of  the  Church  for  the  next  century.  Grace 
Church  is  to  give  a  tone  not  only  to  the  Church  in  this  city, 
but  on  the  whole  Pacific  coast.  The  building  up  of  Grace 
Cathedral  by  the  right  kind  of  man  would  infuse  life  and  en- 
ergy into  the  whole  Pacific  Church. 

"  The  question  I  wish  to  put  is,  whether  you  would  take  the 
place  ?  I  have  proposed  it  individually  to  most  of  the  vestry, 
and  it  has  met  with  their  hearty  concurrence.  As  to  our  unity  of 
feeling  and  purpose,  I  believe  that  in  '  striving  together'  for 
the  Gospel  there  would  be  no  difference  on  any  important 
point.  In  all  that  is  evangelical  (in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word)  I  should  be  as  anxious  as  yourself.  Party  divisions 
have  never  yet  been  introduced  into  this  diocese,  and  it  is  my 
object  to  keep  them  out.  I  feel  that  any  one  coming  here 
and  taking  this  place  will  be  doing  a  work  for  the  Church 
which  can  be  opened  for  him  nowhere  else  ;  but  as  yet  we 
have  had  no  one  to  do  this  work,  never  power  enough  in  the 
pulpit  to  arrest  the  attention  of  these  people.  A  nobler  field 
could  not  be  found  for  any  one  to  inculcate  the  Gospel  upon 
their  active  minds.  With  regard  to  yourself,  I  would  say 
that  I  have  no  doubt  you  are  doing  much  good  where  you  are, 
but  it  would  be  better  to  be  one  of  those  who  are  to  decide 
the  character  of  the  Church  for  the  next  century  in  this  rising 


CALL    TO   SAN  FRANCISCO,  CALIFORNIA.  1 83 

empire.     Will  you  telegraph  me  your  answer  ?     I  trust  it  will 
be  favorable. 

"  Trusting  that  the   Spirit  from  on   High  will  lead  you 
to  decide  for  the  best  interests  of  our  holy  faith, 
"  I  remain  yours  faithfully, 

"  William  Ingraham  Kip, 

^'Bishop  of  California. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

A  second  letter  from  Bishop  Kip,  dated  December 
8th,  1862,  reached  Dr.  Cummins  soon  after  the  first. 
In  it  the  bishop  explains  more  fully  his  own  position 
in  connection  with  Grace  Church.     He  writes  : 

"  The  object  of  my  continued  connection  with  the  church 
is  merely  to  give  it  the  character  of  a  cathedral  church.  The 
building  is  constructed  expressly  for  this  object,  having  in  the 
inner  chancel  on  one  side  a  canopied  seat  for  the  bishop, 
and  on  the  other  side  a  canopied  seat  for  the  dean.  In  the 
outer  chancel  are  stalls  for  ten  clergy.  My  connection  with 
it  would  be,  as  I  remarked  in  my  former  letter,  nominal,  and 
consist  in  this  :  that  th  .s  would  be  the  place  where  I  have  my 
ecclesiastical  home,  and  be  found  at  service  when  not  em- 
ployed elsewhere.  My  participation  in  the  services  would  be 
merely  that  which,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  diocese, 
I  always  take  when  present  in  any  church  at  morning  service — 
to  read  the  Ante-Communion  Service  (except  the  epistle)  and 
give  the  benediction.  The  pulpit  would  be  under  your  con- 
trol entirely.  As  to  parochial  matters,  they  are  to  be  entirely 
under  the  control  of  the  dean." 

This  second  letter  of  Bishop  Kip  was  followed 
by  one  from  Mr.  Louis  McLane,  of  the  firm  of  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.,  San  Francisco.     It  is  dated 


184  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  December  9,  1862. 
'  ''Rev.  George  D.  Cummins : 

"  My  Dear  Sir  :  Bishop  Kip  has  read  me  his  two  letters 
to  you,  asking  you  to  come  here  and  take  charge  of  Grace 
Church  and  parish,  and  explanatory  of  the  position  he  desires 
to  occupy  towards  you  as  rector.  His  first  letter  was  writ- 
ten after  a  full  and  frank  conference  between  us,  I  promising 
to  write  and  urge  on  you  the  acceptance  of  the  call,  I  con- 
sider this  as  the  greatest  field  in  the  United  States  for  a  true 
churchman,  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  with  the  necessary 
talent  and  will  to  hold  his  own.  You  have  both  qualities,  and 
can  do  more  good  for  the  Episcopal  Church  here  in  two  or 
three  years  than  you  can  do  in  any  other  place.  You  can 
build  up  the  strongest  parish  in  the  State,  both  as  to  numbers 
and  good  works.     I  will  work  with  you  shoulder  to  shoulder. 

I  will  write  to  my  brother  A to  make  you  as  comfortable 

as  possible  aboard  the  steamer.  The  climate  here  is  delight- 
ful and  certainly  healthy.  Do  not  decline  our  call  without 
long  consideration.  The  invitation  will  leave  you  free  to  do 
as  you  may  wish,  either  to  remain  for  years  or  leave  after  six 
months. 

"  Yours  sincerely  and  with  respect, 

"  Louis  McLane." 

A  letter  from  Mr.  McLane,  dated  December  20th, 
1862,  is  short,  and  relates  chiefly  to  the  promise  of 
most  generous  aid  and  thoughtful  care  on  the  part 
of  a  truly  large-hearted  man.  The  letter  ends  with 
the  sentence  :  "I  sincerely  hope  you  have  decided 
to  come  here  before  you  receive  this."  A  letter  from 
Bishop  Kip,  dated  San  Francisco,  February  21st,  1863, 
was  received  by  Dr.  Cummins  soon  after.  The  bish- 
op writes  : 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  seen  Mr,  McLane  this 
morning  for  the  first  time  since  receiving  your  letter. 


CALL    To    SAN  FRANCISCO,  CALIFORNIA.  1 8$ 

"  You  do  not  overrate  the  importance  of  this  position.  I 
do  not  know  one  in  the  Church  which  could  exert  so  wide 
and  permanent  an  influence  to  the  whole  diocese.  I  should 
very  much  like,  if  you  could  come  out,  to  have  you  do  so  by 
June,  that  I  may  begin  my  visitations.  The  vestry  framed 
a  resolution  leaving  the  whole  matter  to  me,  with  power  to 
make  such  arrangements  with  you  as  I  chose.  If  you  will 
telegraph  me  that  you  will  accept — you  may  consider  the  call 
offered  you — I  will  summon  the  vestry  and  have  you  for- 
mally  elected  ''Rector  of  Grace  Parish^'  with  the  title  of 
*  Dean  of  Grace  Cathedral. '  Please  telegraph  me  as  soon 
as  convenient,  and  let  us  know  when  you  will  come,  if  you 
decide  in  our  favor,  and  I  will  then  forward  the  formal  call. 
"  Believe  me  yours  very  truly, 

"  Wm.  Ingraham  Kip." 

This  was  followed  by  one  of  the  same  date  from 
Dr.  Cummins's  friend,  Mr.  McLane  : 

"  My  Dear  Mr.  Cummins  :  Your  letter  of  the  8th  reached 
here  during  my  absence  from  the  city.  The  bishop  called  this 
morning  to  say  that  he  had  laid  your  letter  before  the  vestry 
of  Grace  Church,  and  that  they  had  authorized  him  to  urge 
your  acceptance  of  the  rectorship  with  the  title  of  Dean. 
The  climate  is  bracing  the  year  round,  the  nights  are  always 
cool.  I  sincerely  trust  you  will  try  its  effects  upon  you,  if 
only  for  a  year.  You  can  come  on  your  own  terms  as  to 
time,  and  I  entreat  you  to  come  and  stir  us  up. 

"With  esteem  and  regard,  believe  me  your  sincere  friend, 

"  Louis  McLane." 

A  letter    from   Rev.    J.   L.   C ,  bearing    date 

Waterbury,  Conn.,  March  21st,  1863,  was  received 
by  Dr.  Cummins  some  time  after  the  above  was 
written.     We  quote  from  it  : 


1 86  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  I  have  a  brother  and  a  nephew  living  in  San  Francisco, 
the  latter  in  a  banking  house  there.  He  is  a  member  of 
Grace  Church.  I  have  two  letters  to-day  from  him  urging 
me  to  go  on  to  Baltimore  to  see  you,  and  read  to  you  his  let- 
ters. He  earnestly  hopes  you  will  not  decline  the  call.  He 
says  he  never  knew  such  united  and  anxious  feeling  in  a 
parish  for  any  man  to  become  their  pastor  as  pervades  Grace 
Church. 

' '  Yours  most  sincerely  and  respectfully  in  the  best  of 
bonds,  J.  L.  C ." 

Another  letter  from  the  same  clergyman,  and  one 
from  a  presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  New  York  who  has  since  become  widely  known 
by  reason  of  certain  predictions  concerning  that 
church,  were  received  by  Dr.  Cummins,  and  were, 
with  those  from  which  we  have  quoted,  the  chief  in- 
formation upon  which  he  acted  in  deciding  so  impor- 
tant a  question. 

His  answer,  after  very  earnest  consideration  of  the 
call,  was  that  he  could  not  see  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
leave  his  present  field  of  labor,  where  God  had  so 
abundantly  blessed  him,  for  another,  however  attrac- 
tive that  might  be. 

The  spring  of  1863  found  him  as  hopefully  and 
faithfully  at  work  as  though  the  moans  of  the 
wounded  and  dying  and  the  cries  of  the  widowed  and 
fatherless  were  not  heard  throughout  this  highly-fa- 
vored country.  With  the  innate  horror  of  war  which 
he  ever  felt,  it  was  to  be  expected  that  the  pastor  of  a 
congregation  such  as  St.  Peter's — where  some  sons 
and  brothers  and  fathers  were  fighting  for  the  govern- 
ment and  some  for  the  South — would  feel  not  only 
the  deepest  sympathy  for  the  relatives  of  these  sol- 


CALL    TO   SAN  FRANCISCO,  CALIFORNIA.        .  187 


diers,  but  would  suffer  intense  anxiety  day  by  day  in 
waiting  for  news  of  the  members  of  his  flock,  some  of 
whom  had  been  brought  to  Jesus  by  his  preaching. 

This  constant  and  severe  strain  upon  his  nervous 
system  showed  its  effects  in  May,  1863,  when  his  phy- 
sicians told  him  frankly  that  unless  he  removed  at 
once  to  a  more  bracing  climate  he  would  b€  wholly 
unfitted  for  his  work. 

Here  his  faith  and  trust  in  God  were  fully  tested. 
In  the  midst  of  work  such  as  he  was  accomplishing 
in  St.  Peter's,  to  either  be  laid  aside  altogether  or 
have  to  remove  to  another  field  was  a  sorrow  to  this 
servant  of  God  too  deep  for  words,  but  with  all  his 
loving  resting  on  Jesus,  he  said,  "  As  Thou  wilt." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ANOTHER  HOME. 

"  Moreover  it  is  required  in  stewards,  that  a  mao  be  found  faithful." 

I  Cor.  4  :  2. 
Aged  41. 

JUST  at  this  crisis   the   following  letter  was    re- 
ceived : 

Chicago,  May  16,  1863, 

"  Copy  of  resolutions  passed  by  the  vestry  of  Trinity 
Church,  Chicago,  May  i6th,  1863,  touching  the  call  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Cummins  : 

''Resolved^  That  the  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  be 
invited  to  become  the  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Chicago. 

''Resolved,  That  J.  L.  Reynolds,  L.  P.  Hiliard,  and  John 
Wright  be  a  committee  to  communicate  the  foregoing  resolu- 
tion to  Dr.  Cummins,  and  urge  his  acceptance  of  the  invita- 
tion ;  and  that  said  committee  be  requested,  if  practicable,  to 
visit  Baltimore,  and  in  person  communicate  with  Dr.  Cum- 
mins. Otherwise  by  correspondence.  And  if  Dr.  Cummins 
prefer  to  visit  Chicago  before  deciding,  that  his  expenses  shall 
be  paid,  etc. 

"  Adopted  unanimously.  H.  E.  Sargent, 

"  Secretary.'" 

A  committee  visited  Baltimore  and  had  a  long 
interview  with  Dr.  Cummins  at  his  home  on  Madison 
Avenue. 

This  question  seemed  one  of  easy  solution.    There 


ANOTHER   HOME.  1 89 


was  not  much  left  for  him  to  do.  His  physicians  had 
decided  the  matter  for  him.  He  felt  that  they  were 
right  ;  but  it  was  a  sad  trial  to  him  and  his  wife  to 
break  up  their  home  again  and  go  to  an  untried  field. 
Still  they  recognized  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  this, 
and  without  a  murmur  submitted.  To  bid  adieu  to 
the  dear  friends  with  whom  he  had  labored  all  these 
years — friends  who  in  many  ways  had  Avound  them- 
selves around  his  heart,  to  whom  he  had  so  faithfully 
and  lovingly  ministered  during  a  time  of  deep  anxiety 
and  fear  to  all — was  a  trial  too  deep  for  words  to  one 
so  loving.  He  shrank  from  it  with  a  keen  sense  of 
all  that  it  cost  him.  Their  home,  too,  was  so  attrac- 
tive, and  around  it  hung  many  tender  associations. 
But  the  question  admitted  of  no  debate,  and,  after 
some  weeks.  Dr.  Cummins  decided  to  accept  the  call. 
The  call  came  in  Ma}^  but  it  was  not  until  after 
midsummer  that  the  matter  was  finally  decided.  This 
interval  was  passed  in  a  visit  to  Chicago,  that  Dr. 
Cummins  might  learn  more  fully  of  the  new  field  ; 
and  in  resting  from  all  labor,  in  New  York  and  East- 
hampton.  Long  Island.  The  first  letter  we  have  of 
Dr.  Cummins  written  at  this  time  is  dated  Niagara 
Falls,  June  24th,  1863,  when  on  his  way  to  Chicago, 
having  left  his  family  in  New  York  : 

"  I  left  you  at  7  o'clock  yesterday  morning.  I  enjoyed 
very  much  the  ride  on  the  Hudson  River  Railroad.  Almost 
immediately  we  came  to  the  Palisades,  and  these  extended  for 
miles.  I  noticed  that  the  solid  rocks  forming  them  were  in 
some  places  crumbling,  and  thought  of  the  Psalmist's  expres- 
sion, '  These  all  shall  wax  old,  as  doth  a  garment,  and  as  a 
vesture  shall  be  changed,  but  Thou  art  the  same.'  Soon 
we  reached  the   region   of   Sleepy  Hollow,  where   Ichabod 


1 90  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

Crane  flourished,  then  by  Tarrytown,  associated  with  Andre 
and  his  sad  fate.  Not  far  from  this  the  Highlands  came  in 
view,  more  beautiful  than  ever  to  me,  and  I  passed  by  West 

Point,    Fort  Putnam,    Kosciusko's   monument,  and   C 's 

Hotel  where  we  passed  a  part  of  the  summer,  of  1855.  Then 
Newburg  came  in  sight  and  Fishkill    Landing,  and  I  thought 

of  Rev.  Mr.  C and  your  dear  sister,   now  in  glory — of 

their  home  there  and  here  !  The  next  object  of  interest 
were  the  Catskill  Mountains,  rising  in  great  beauty  and  even 
grandeur,  not  unlike  the  mountains  around  Loch  Katrine  and 
Loch  Lomond,  At  11.45  we  reached  Albany,  not  five  hours 
travelling  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  We  reached  Niagara 
at  10.30,  having  travelled  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  since  7 
o'clock  this  morning,  in  fifteen  hours.  My  room  overlooks 
the  Rapids  on  the  American  side,  where  the  river  makes  its 
mighty  leap,  and  I  went  to  sleep  with  the  sound  of  the  cataract 
in  my  ears.  I  was,  of  course,  weary  with  so  long  a  journey, 
but  am  rested  this  morning,  and  am  writing  to  you  before 
going  out  to  view  the  great  works  of  God. " 

Later  he  writes  : 

"  I  passed  the  morning  on  Goat  Island,  enjoying  the 
different  views  of  the  Falls,  and  wishing  all  my  loved  ones 
were  with  me.  The  mighty  waters  are  still  rolling  on  as  ever, 
unchanged,  perhaps,  since  creation,  and  undiminished  in  vol- 
ume.    I  repeated  to  myself  Milton's  lines  : 

"  '  These  are  thy  glorious  works, 
Parent  of  Good  ;  thyself  how  wondrous  then  !'  " 

Dr.  Cummins  reached  Chicago  June  26th,  and  was 
received  with  great  kindness  by  the  vestry  and  con- 
gregation of  Trinity  Church.  He  describes  the 
church  as  exceedingly  beautiful  when  lighted  up. 
Chicago  reminded  him  of  a  European  city.  Of  Trin- 
ity Church  he  writes  : 


ANOTHER  HOME.  I9I 


"  The  front  is  of  stone  and  very  imposing,  the  sides  of 
brick,  with  no  windows,  like  Christ  Church,  New  York,  and 
is  lighted  from  above.  The  interior  is  beautiful  ;  the  pews 
are  of  oak,  the  chancel  semicircular,  with  stained-glass  win- 
dows. The  church  is  very  large,  but  easy  to  speak  in,  though 
it  has  galleries.     Sunday  morning  at   10.30  we  had  service. 

Mr.  G and  Dr.  H read  the  service  and  I  preached. 

The  congregation  was  very  large." 

Then  follows  a  full  description  of  how  he  passed 
the  time  while  in  Chicago,  the  people  he  met,  and  his 
impressions  of  that  grand  city.  In  concluding  the 
letter  he  says  :  "  I  have  promised  my  friends  in  Balti- 
more that  I  would  not  decide  the  question  until  I  re- 
turned. It  is  a  momentous  question.  May  our  hea- 
venl}'  Father  in  his  great  goodness  lead  me  to  decide 
aright  !"  He  speaks  of  the  beautiful  lake,  and  of  Wa- 
bash and  Michigan  avenues,  and  also  of  the  great 
kindness  of  the  people. 

In  a  letter  dated  June  29th  he  writes  : 

"  Let  us  be  unceasing  in  prayer  to  God  for  His  guidance. 
I  never  felt  more  anxious  to  do  right.  I  am  willing  to  sacrifice 
anything  to  follow  his  will.  I  do  not  wish  to  leave  my 
present  home  if  by  God's  blessing  I  could  go  on  with  my 
work  ;  nor  can  I  tell  how  a  residence  here  might  affect  your 
health." 

Under  date  of  July  ist,  at  Niagara  Falls,  he  writes  : 

"  On  Monday,  after  closing  my  letter  to  you,  Mr.  C , 

Mr.  H ,  and  Mr.  S called  for  me  in  an  open  carriage 

to  drive.  We  went  first  to  see  the  process  of  raising  a  block 
of  brick  buildings.,  for  which  the  people  in  Chicago  have  be- 
come so  famous.    These  buildings  were  owned  by  Mr.  H , 


192  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

and  are  five  stories  high  and  eighty  feet  long,  and  I  saw 
them  in  the  process  of  being  raised  several  feet  from  the 
foundation,  and  all  the  occupants  pursuing  their  avocations 
undisturbed  !  One  whole  block  in  the  city,  including  the 
Tremont  House,  a  first  class  hotel,  was  thus  raised,  and 
everything  went  on  as  usual  in  the  buildings,  and  not  a  piece 
of  plaster  was  cracked  !  We  next  drove  to  the  City  Water 
Works.  The  water  is  pumped  up  from  Lake  Michigan  into 
a  high  tower  by  steam-engines.  Then  we  went  to  see  one  of 
those  immense  grain-elevators  where  grain  is  carried  up  and 
down  again  into  the  boats  by  steam  power.  Some  of  them 
hold  over  one  million  bushels  of  grain.  Yesterday,  June  30th, 
I  left  Chicago.  Mr.  R ,  Mr.  C ,  and  Mr.  S ac- 
companied me  to  the  cars,  and  expressed  very  earnest  hopes 
that  I  would  accept  their  invitation.  I  promised  to  give  it 
most  earnest  and  prayerful  consideration,  and  send  them  an 
answer  at  the  earliest  day  possible.  They  will  wait  until 
October  ist  for  me  to  begin  my  work  in  Trinity.  I  am 
writing  now  from  the  Clifton  House  on  the  Canada  side  of 
the  Falls.  The  view  is  incomparably  superior  to  that  from 
the  American  side.  While  sitting  on  the  piazza  of  the  hotel 
the  sun  rose,  and  the  rays  falling  on  the  Falls  made  a  column 
of  rainbow  rising  upright  from  the  waters. ' ' 

Dr.  Cummins  had  scarcely  reached  New  York 
before  the  fearful  riots  began.  He  had  taken  lodgings 
for  himself  and  family  in  Thirty-eighth  Street,  near 
Madison  Avenue,  and  there  they  witnessed  many 
terrible  scenes— the  burning  of  the  Colored  Orphan 
Asylum,  and  the  procession  going  to  attack  the  United 
States  Arsenal.  Day  after  day  and  night  after  night 
they  heard  the  wild  shouts  and  howls  of  what  no 
longer  seemed  to  be  human  beings  made  after  the 
image  of  God,  but  a  number  of  wild  beasts  fresh  from 
the  jungles  of  India  thirsting  for  blood. 


ANOTHER  HOME.  I93 


Finding  it  no  longer  possible  to  remain  in  the  city 
with  any  comfort,  they  removed  to  Easthampton, 
Long  Island.  Their  drive  to  the  steamer  was  a  mem- 
orable one.  The  stores  on  Broadway  were  closed  ; 
the  streets  deserted  ;  no  vehicle  to  be  seen  for 
squares  ;  it  was  as  though  a  fearful  plague  had  driven 
every  one  from  their  homes,  except  those  who  were  too 
ill  to  leave  their  beds.  Every  few  minutes  the  firing 
was  heard  and  the  shouts  of  the  frenzied  throng,  as 
madly  they  marched  from  street  to  street,  doing  their 
deadly  work.  Just  as  the  carriage  reached  the  upper 
end  of  Wall  Street  it  met  the  procession  of  furies, 
headed,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Terror  in  France, 
by  women  armed  with  axes,  hatchets,  pitchforks, 
scythes,  and  clubs,  and  with  demoniacal  faces.  By  a 
sudden  and  skilful  turn  of  the  carriage  by  the  coach- 
man a  lane  was  reached,  and  soon  they  arrived  at  the 
boat,  while  in  the  distance  was  heard  the  furious  yells 
of  the  maddened  throng. 

Dr.  Cummins  and  his  family  remained  on  Long 
Island  until  the  last  of  September.  Finding  that  sea 
air  and  sea  bathing  failed  to  restore  his  wonted 
strength,  he  at  last  decided  that  it  would  be  wisest  to 
try  the  climate  of  Chicago,  hoping  the  change  might 
bring  back  health  and  strength.  Accordingly  he  sent 
his  resignation  to  the  vestry  of  St.  Peter's  Church. 

From  one  of  his  most  valued  friends  in  St.  Peter's 
he  received  at  this  time  a  letter,  from  which  we  quote  : 

"  I  sympathize  with  you  most  truly,  for  I  know  the  difii- 
culties  that  must  present  themselves  in  the  settlement  of  such 
a  question.  I  do  not  like  to  say  anything  lest  it  savor  of 
selfishness,  but  this  I  7nust  say,  that  I  am  sure  not  one 
of    your  many   devoted  friends  in  Baltimore  is  more  anx- 


194  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMTfv^Ty. 

ious  for  you  to  stay  than  you  are  to  do  your  duty  in  this 
whole  matter.  I  am  sure  all  I  might  say  has  been  weighed 
carefully  by  you,  but  I  shall  not  cease  to  pray  that  if  it  be 
God's  will,  you  may  remain  with  us.  I  hope  your  health  may 
be  restored  and  that  you  may  return  here  strong  for  the  fight 
you  have  heretofore  so  nobly  and  successfully  made  for  Christ. 
But  whatever  may  be  the  result,  I  shall  ever  pray  that  God's 
blessing  may  be  with  you  and  yours. 
"  Believe  me  to  be 

"  Very  faithfully  your  friend, 

"  T.  W.  A ." 

In  a  letter  bearing  a  later  date  the  same  dear 
friend  writes  : 

"  I  learned  from  Mr.  W that  you  had  declined  the 

call  to  Chicago.  It  would  have  gratified  you  to  have  heard 
the  outspoken,  sincere,  and  hearty  expressions  of  joy  and 
affection  in  the  congregation  of  St.  Peter's,  as  well  as  in  the 

community  at  large,  when   Mr.  W gave  it  out  that  you 

had  decided  not  to  go  to  Chicago.  I  am  sure,  my  dear  sir, 
that  your  friends  do  not  overestimate  your  power  for  good  to 
this  community.  It  will  be  a  happy  day  to  us  all  if  God 
shall  return  you  to  us  with  renewed  strength.  Your  friends 
have  an  unfaltering  confidence  in  your  desire  to  know  and  do 
his  will  in  this  as  in  other  things." 

The  acceptance  of  the  call  to  Chicago  saddened 
many  hearts  in  Baltimore,  and  this  trial  was  felt  the 
more  for  their  having  heard  the  rumor  that  it  had 
been  declined. 

Another  letter  from  the  same  valued  friend,  bear- 
ing date  August  24th,  1863,  was  received  by  Dr.  Cum- 
mins while  at  Easthampton  : 


ANOTHER  HOME.  195 


"  My  Dear  Doctor  :  I  need  not  say  that  the  announce- 
ment in  your  letter  caused  me  great  pain.  It  seems  like  a 
complete  unsettling  of  my  relations  with  St.  Peter's,  which 
were  so  pleasant  under  your  ministration.  Our  acquaint- 
ance with  you  has  ripened  into  strong  personal  affection  and 
esteem,  which  separation  will  not  lessen.  You  will  carry  to 
your  new  home  our  love  and  best  wishes  ;  and  we  shall  ever 
thank  God  for  the  privileges  we  have  enjoyed  under  your 

ministry. 

"The  motive  which  moves  you  is  one  of  the  strongest 
that  can  be  presented,  and  ought  to  weigh  heavily  with  any 
man  who  regards  properly  the  life  which  God  has  given  him. 
The  expressions  which  I  have  heard  respecting  your  removal 
have  generally  been  those  of  unmixed  affection  and  unabated 

love. 

"  We  shall  miss  you,  dear  doctor,  more  than  I  can  tell 
you.     To  my  dear  wife  it  is  a  real  trial. 

"  With  sincere  affection,  believe  me  to  be  as  ever, 
' '  Your  sincere  friend, 

"T.  W.  A. ." 

A  meeting  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Peter's  Church 
was  held  August  21st,  when  the  usual  resolutions 
were  passed,  accompanied  by  expressions  of  deep  re- 
gret at  the  severance  of  the  ties  which  had  bound  them 
together  for  so  many  years.  The  document  ends  with 
the  following  sentence  : 

"  Earnestly  hoping  that  by  God's  blessing  the  change  con- 
templated may  be  the  means  of  restoring  you  to  health  and 
strength,  so  that  you  may  be  able  to  continue  for  many  years 
the  work  of  the  ministry  in  which  you  have  been  so  eminently 
successful." 

The  last  of  September  Dr.   Cummins   took  XiiM 


196  GEORGE  DA  VID    CUMMINS. 

family  to  St.  Catherine's  Wells,  Canada,  where  they 
remained  for  eleven  months,  that  Mrs.  Cummins  might 
be  benefited  by  the  waters.  During  this  time  Dr. 
Cummins  filled  all  his  appointments  in  Trinity  Church, 
Chicago,  only  visiting  his  family  occasionally  and  for 
a  few  days  at  a  time. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

LIFE  IN  THE  GREAT  WEST. 

He  liveth  long  who  liveth  well — 
All  other  life  is  short  and  vain  ; 
He  liveth  longest  who  can  tell 

Of  living  most  for  heavenly  gain. 
***** 

Sow  love,  and  taste  its  fruitage  pure  ; 

Sow  peace,  and  reap  its  harvest  bright  j 
Sow  sunbeams  on  the  rock  and  moon, 

And  find  a  harvest-home  of  light. — BoNAR. 

Aged  41. 

THE  story  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Cummins  while  rector 
of  Trinity  Church,  Chicago,  will  be  best  told 
by  extracts  from  letters  written  by  himself.    They  are 
journal-letters,  telling  of  his  daily  work. 
The  first  we  have  is  dated 

''October  3,  1863. — I  trust  that  I  feel  more  than  ever  desir- 
ous to  glorify  God  by  consecrating  my  time  and  talents  to  him  in 
the  work  of  winning  souls.  I  shall  strive  to  live  more  closely 
than  ever  to  my  Saviour,  knowing  and  feeling  that  in  this  is 
our  only  true  blessedness.  I  know  that  your  prayers  will  be 
offered  for  me  to-morrow,  and  always,  that  I  may  be  faithful 
and  grow  in  holiness  continually. 

"  May   our  loving  heavenly  Father  keep  you  under  the 

shadow  of  his  wing  !     Tell  G that  he  must  now  be  more 

than  ever  gentle  and  kind  and  thoughtful  to  supply  my  place. 
Kiss  darling  E ,  and  tell  her  to  try  to  be  a  dear  child  of 


198  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

Jesus.     I  trust  my  precious  L will  daily  grow  in  grace, 

and  in  likeness  to  the  blessed  Saviour. 

''October  4,  1863. — My  first  Sunday  in  Trinity  Church  as  its 
pastor  !  It  was  an  occasion  of  great  interest  and,  I  trust,  of 
profit  to  all  who  participated  in  the  services.  About  10  o'clock 
I  went  to  the  church,  and  found  a  bright  fire  in  the  vestry- 
room,  and  everything  very  comfortable.  Every  time  I  am  in  the 
church  I  am  more  favorably  impressed  with  its  beauty  ;  every- 
thing is  in  such  excellent  order  and  so  conveniently  arranged. 
At  10.30  the  services  began.     The  church  was  filled,  galleries 

and  floor,  notwithstanding  the  rain-storm.     Dr.  H read 

the  morning  prayer.  I  took  the  Ante-Communion  Service. 
The  music  was  the  finest  I  have  heard  since  I  listened  to  the 
choir  of  St.  Bartholomew's,  New  York,  when  under  your 
brother's  charge. 

*  *  The  organ  is  a  very  large  one,  and  the  voices  wonder- 
fully fine.  I  regret  that  it  is  not  more  congregational,  but 
this,  I  hope,  will  be  gained  in  course  of  time.  I  preached 
from  Col.  4:17.  The  people  listened  attentively,  and  seemed 
to  feel  it  as  I  did.  On  returning  to  the  chancel  for  the 
communion  I  was  surprised  to  find  so  few  remaining  :  such 
a  contrast  to  St.  Peter's  !  You  will  see  how  great  a  work  is 
to  be  done  here  !  We  had  the  chancel-rail  filled  only  five" 
and  a  half  times.  The  communion  was  so  soon  over  that  I 
did  not  feel  fatigued.  I  wish  you  could  look  into  my  room 
where  I  am  now  writing,  and  see  how  cosey  and  sweet  it  is. 
1  am  sure  you  would  be  glad. 

'  'Mofiday. — All  day  yesterday  the  weather  was  very  inclem- 
ent ;  the  church,  however,  was  well  filled.  My  text  was  from 
Psalm  87  :  2,  5,  6.  The  singing  was  even  finer  than  in  the  morn- 
ing. I  never  heard  anything  more  delightful  than  the  psalm  and 
hymn.     I  felt  quite  bright  at  the  close  of  the  day's  work,  and 

hope  I  may  feel  stronger  in  this  cool  climate.    Mr.  C is  to 

have  me  at  his  house  one  evening  this  week  to  meet  some  of  the 
Trinity  Church  people  ;    he  is  also  going  to  drive  me  this 


LIFE  IN   THE   GREAT  WEST.  199 

afternoon  to  call  on  Bishop  Whitehouse.  During  the  half- 
hour  I  was  out  this  morning  the  bishop  called  with  Rev.  Mr. 
W and  Judge  O , 

"  Tuesday  aftcr?wo?i,  5  o'clock. — Mr.  C and  I  start- 
ed at  4  for  the  bishop's.  We  found  him  in,  and  sat 
half  an  hour  with  him.  He  received  me  very  cordially. 
I  told  him  I  had  only  resided  in  two  dioceses,  Virginia 
and  Maryland,  and  in  both  my  relations  to  the  bishops 
and  the  authorities  were  very  pleasant  and  harmonious, 
and  that  I  hoped  it  would  be  so  here.  He  invited  me 
to  meet  some  friends  at  his  house  Thursday  evening,  and  Mr. 

C also.     I  accepted  the  invitation.   Mr.  C seems  to 

be  very  happy  that  I  have  come  to  Chicago.  After  tea  went 
to  the  vestry-room  to  attend  a  vestry  meeting.  I  am  very 
much  impressed  with  the  energy  of  the  gentlemen  and  their 
liberality. 

"Wednesday  evening. —  This  morning  at  9  o'clock  I 
left   the  depot   of  the   Galena   Railway  with   Mr.  and  Mrs. 

R for   the   home   of   Mr.   B ,    fifteen    miles    from 

Chicago.  In  an  hour  we  reached  his  beautiful  residence, 
surrounded  by  lovely  grounds,  gardens,  and  a  conserva- 
tory.    The  dwelling  is  large,  and  filled  with  beautiful  works 

of   art.     Mrs.  B soon   came   in,  and    to  my  surprise   I 

found  her  to  be  a  niece  of  Mr.  M.  P —   - ,  of  Clark  County. 

Va.,  and  of  Captain  Richard  L.  P A  our  congregation  in 

Norfolk.     Mr.  B took  us  around  his  grounds,  and  then 

showed  us  what  above  all  things  interested  us — a  magic- 
lantern  and  views,  in  nineteen  boxes,  pictures  of  views  in 
Europe,  exquisitely  painted,  for  which  he  paid  I50  each  ; 
all  kinds  of  insects  and  plants,  three  or  four  hundred  plates 
in  all ;  all  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  all  the  movements  of  the 
solar  system  in  motion,  caused  by  most  delicate  machinery. 
All  these,  and  an  oxyhydrogen  microscope  of  wondrous 
power,  and  a  solar  microscope,  and  other  inferior  micro- 
scopes, he  purchased  for  $8000.     They  were  the  eifects  of  a 


200  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

German  who  devoted  his  life  to  them,  and  died  here  of 
despondency  and  want  of  success.  I  would  go  hundreds  of 
miles  to  see  them  exhibited  at  night.  The  oxyhydrogen 
microscope  requires  oxygen  gas  to  be  manufactured  to  light 

it  properly.     Mrs.  J is  the  same  lovely  old  lady  we  knew 

in  Norfolk,  and  was  delighted  to  see  me.  Our  conversation 
was  chiefly  on  religious  topics,  and  we  were  of  one  mind  and 
heart.  Mr.  B is  a  very  earnest  Christian  and  a  thor- 
oughly evangelical  man.  He  has  a  chapel  on  his  grounds, 
and  holds  services  himself  as  lay  reader.  He  translates 
sermons  of  German  and  French  divines  for  the  congregation. 
You  may  imagine  my  delight  in  meeting  such  a  man.  On 
returning  to  Chicago,  I  called  at  the  American  Express  Co.  to 

see  Mr.  F ,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  company  here  and 

one  of  my  vestry.  The  office  is  immense,  and  crowded  with 
clerks  and  goods — indeed,  everything  here  is  on  a  gigantic 
scale.     Mr.  H is  going  to  send  you  a  box  of  fine  grapes. 

"  I  have  been  visiting  in  the  congregation  every  day  since 

I  arrived.     The  vestry  are  very  kind.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  H 

have  urged  me  to  be  their  guest  while  you  are  at  St.  Cath- 
arine's. They  are  as  hospitable  as  Virginians.  To-day  I 
went  out  to  see  about  sending  you  money.     I  went  to  Mr. 

C 's  office  and  told  him  what  I  wanted  to  do.     '  Very 

well.  Dr.  C , '  he  said,  '  I  will  see  the  treasurer,  buy  the 

silver,  have  it  boxed  up  and  sealed  in  my  office,  and  sent  off 

by  express  without  any  cost  to  you,  as  I  know  Mr.  F 

will  not  charge  you  anything. '  Is  not  this  doing  a  kindness 
in  a  generous  way  ?  Chicago  is  a  wonderful  place,  so  full  of 
novelty,  and  unlike  our  Eastern  cities. 

"  October  9,  1863. — I  am  more  pleased  with  Chicago 
each  day  ;  the  lake  is  always  an  object  of  great  interest, 
and  on  every  side  are  things  to  excite  surprise  and  ad- 
miration. The  energy  and  progress  here  are  almost  in- 
credible. At  7.30  P.M.  I  had  my  first  lecture  in  the  lec- 
ture-room of  the  church.     It  was  well   filled,  and  the  ser- 


LIFE  IN    THE  GREAT    WEST.  201 

vice    very    pleasant.       Mr.   H remarked,   after    coming 

home,  that  in  a  few  weeks  we  would  be  driven  into  the 
church  by  the   crowd.     In  the   afternoon   I   went   out  with 

Mr.  H to    his    office.     It    is    in    the    Court    House,     I 

went  through  it  and  admired  the  completeness  of  all  the  in- 
ternal arrangements.     We  also  made  several  visits.     Thurs  ■ 

day  at  7.30  Mr.  H and  myself  went  to  the  bishop's,  and 

there  met  a  large  company.  I  knew  but  few  persons.  The 
bishop  was  very  courteous  and  attentive.     I  am  engaged  this 

evening  to  meet  some  friends  at  Mr.  R 's.     I  intend  to 

stop  a  day  at  St.  Catharine's  on  my  way  back  from  Baltimore, 
and  will  see  father  and  mother  on  my  way  on. 

*  ^Friday  afternoon. — Your  letters  have  just  come.  One  from 
each  !  I  knelt  down  after  reading  them  to  thank  God  for  all  his 
goodness  to  me  in  giving  me  such  a  home-circle  !  May  his  lov- 
ing-kindness ever  be  your  portion,  and  may  he  give  to  both  of 
us  and  all  of  us  the  blessedness  of  resting  in  his  love — of 
living  in  the  consciousness  of  his  favor  !  Do  all  you  can  for 
the  poor  sufferer,  and  to  any  others  you  hear  of.  God  is  so 
wondrously  good  to  us,  we  ought  to  be  ever  ministering  to 

others.     To-day  at  dinner  Mr.  and   Mrs.    H said   they 

could  not  think  of  giving  me  up  this  winter.  I  have  never 
met  with  greater  kindness.  I  can  have  a  most  comfortable 
study  at  the  church  ;  the  rooms  are  beautifully  fitted  up 
with  shelves.  Indeed  everything  is  as  delightful  around  me 
as  any  heart  could  wish,  except  the  absence  of  my  precious 

family.     Mr.  H has  a  nice  horse  which  he  insists  that  I 

shall  ride  every  day,  I  have  felt  much  stronger  ever  since  my 
arrival  here  ;  it  is  certainly  a  bracing  climate  and  a  deeply 
interesting  place.  There  are  4000  Confederate  prisoners 
here  ;  I  am  to  preach  to  them  next  week.  All  the  clergy  take 
part  in  preaching  to  them.  There  are  many  professing  Chris- 
tians among  them. 

"  October  12. — On  Friday  I  was  visiting  all  the  after- 
noon and  making  inquiries  concerning  an  assistant,     Friday 


202  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 


evening  I  took  tea  at  Mr.  R 's,  and  met  the  bishop  and 

Mrs.  W ,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cheney  and  v/ife.     We  passed 

a  pleasant  evening.     Saturday  morning  was  busy  with  Mr. 

C in  trying  to  have  the  chancel  window  shaded,  the  Hght 

being  too  trying  to  the  eyes.  Saturday  evening  went  to  the 
rehearsal  of  our  choir,  to  show  the  interest  I  feel  in  their 
work.  I  enjoyed  listening  to  them  very  much.  There  is 
much  musical  talent  in  Chicago.     Sunday  morning  dawned 

brightly  and  beautifully.      Mr.    R sent  me   your  letter. 

It  made  the  day  a  glad  one.  I  think  it  wise  to  engage  Rev. 
Mr.  C as  tutor  to  L and  G .  The  Times  re- 
ports my  sermon  on  Sunday  in  full.  We  had  a  noble  congre- 
gation. The  vast  building  was  filled  in  every  part.  I  had  no 
one  to  assist  me,  but  went  through  all  the  services  without 
fatigue.  The  church  is  so  easy  to  fill.  At  3  o'clock  I  went 
to  the  Sunday-school.  At  7.30  p.m  we  had  service,  and  Mr. 
Cheney  read  for  me.  The  church  was  crowded  like  St.  Peter's 
used  to  be.  The  church  has  in  all  256  pews.  Many  have 
been  rented  this  week.  I  was  sent  for  in  the  afternoon  to 
visit  a  poor  woman.  This  is  Tuesday.  Last  night  I  had  a 
meeting  of  the  teachers  of  the  Sunday-school  to  consult  about 
the  improvement  of  the  school.  It  was  very  pleasant.  Mr. 
R will  become  our  superintendent. 

"  October  14,  1863. — Making  visits  all  day  in  Mr.  H 's 

carriage.      At  6    met  the  vestry  at  Mr.   C 's.     We  are 

starting  anew  a  sinking-fund  system  to  pay  off  our  indebted- 
ness ;  Mr.  C thinks  we  can  pay  all  by  Easter.    If  so,  they 

will  build  a  rectory.  I  took  my  first  ride  this  morning,  and 
am  charmed  with  the  horse.     I  am  to  use  it  each  day  as  my 

own.     Mr.  H insists  upon  getting  a  new  saddle,  bridle, 

and  whip.     He  is  the  kindest  of  men.     Last  night  Mr.  and 

Mrs.  C invited  me  to  come  and  be  with  them  all  winter. 

Are  we  not  blessed  in  such  friends  ? 

"  October  15. — Each  day  I  am  more  and  more  delighted 
with    Chicago  ;   it   is  a  very  interesting  city.     The   Lake  is 


LIFE  IN   THE   GREAT    WEST.  203 

never-wearying  in  interest,  almost  as  much  so  as  the  ocean. 
Wabash  and  Michigan  avenue  are  very  beautiful — the  one 
looks  immediately  out  upon  the  unbounded  expanse  of  water, 
and  the  other,  Wabash,  is  very  wide,  and  has  two  rows  of 
trees  on  each  side,  of  the  avenue  ten  or  fifteen  feet  apart. 
'  The  lines  have  indeed  fallen  unto  us  in  pleasant  places. '  I 
send  you  a  copy  of  the  Times,  and  also  a  most  Avonderful  and 

powerful  letter  from  dear  Bishop  Hopkins  to  Bishop  P . 

It  is  a  tremendous  blow,  a  Titan's  stroke,  and  he  promises  to 
follow  it  up  with  a  book,  if  spared.  ...  I  cannot  re- 
sist the  conviction  that  God  will  yet  raise  you  up  and  give 
us  years  of  joy  in  the  future.  But  his  blessed  will  be  done 
in  you  and  in  me  always,  and  ever,  and  alone  ! 

"  October  17. — I  went  out  yesterday  to  purchase  the  books. 
I  bought  Macduff's  *  Hart  and  the  Waterbrooks, '  '  Grapes  of 
Eshcol,'  '  Thoughts  of  God,'  and  'Arthur  Vanderleur's  Life.' 

Mrs.  H sent  you  another  box  of  grapes,  and  Mr.  C a 

box  of  game.  Rev.  Mr.  Cheney  read  again  for  me  last  night. 
I  preached  from  St.  John  12  :  25.  The  church  was  filled 
with  an  immense  audience.  It  is  a  wonderful  field,  and  may 
well  excite  one  to  fervor  and  diligence.  I  am  especially 
thankful  that,  although  the  church  is  so  large,  it  is  so  easy  to 
fill  with  the  voice  as  not  to  weary  me  in  preaching.  The 
ventilation  is  so  good  that  the  air  is  not  oppressive  even  from 

such   a  crowd.     To  tell  you  of  other  kindnesses,  Mr.  S 

has  sent  me  passes  to  go  all  the  way  to  New  York  by  the  M. 
C.  R.  R.  and  its  connections.     Is  not  this  most  kind  ?" 

The  next  letter  is  dated  Baltimore,  October  20th. 
In  it  Dr.  Cummins  gives  a  graphic  description  of  the 
scenery  on  the  Pennsylvania  Central  Railroad  cross- 
ing the  AUeghanies.  He  then  tells  of  his  busy  life 
while  in  Baltimore,  superintending  the  packing  of  the 
furniture,  books,  etc.,  in  their  home  on  Madison 
Avenue.     He  writes  : 


204  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

' '  I  am  still  uncertain  about  getting  to  Jefferson  County. 
All  is  confusion  here.  General  Lee's  movements  are  mysteri- 
ous and  incomprehensible  to  the  government.  No  one  knows 
where  he  will  turn  up.  Last  Sunday  a  serious  disaster  be- 
fell the  gvernment  forces  at  Charlestown,  Va.  General  Love- 
joy  was  a  classmate  of  mine  at  college." 

In  the  midst  of  heavy  work  he  found  time  to  call 
and  see  all  his  dear  friends  of  St.  Peter's,  "  who  were 
all  most  kind  and  affectionate,  but  feel  my  leaving 
deeply."  During  his  stay  in  Baltimore  he  was  the 
guest  of  William  Prescott  Smith,  Esq.,  where  he  was 
most  affectionately  welcomed  and  made  very  com- 
fortable in  his  elegant  home.  In  a  letter  dated  Balti- 
more, October  24th,  he  thus  describes  the  Sunday 
passed  with  his  former  congregation  : 

"  This  morning  at  10  o'clock  I  started  for  St.  Peter's, 
and  went  into  the  Sunday-school,  spoke  to  all  the  teachers, 
and  addressed  the  children.  At  11  o'clock  I  preached. 
The  church  was  thronged  and  many  were  standing.  It  was  a 
very  interesting  service.  My  text  was  2  Cor.  4:5.  I  bap- 
tized Mr.  D 's  child  and  one  of  Mrs.  H ■  S 's.     I 

hope  to  leave  for  St.  Catharine's  Tuesday  night  at  8.30. 
May  our  Father  ever  bless  and  keep  you  all,  and  bring  us  in 
safety  to  meet  once  more  !" 

On  his  return  to  Chicago,  Dr.  Cummins  writes 
thus,  under  date  of  November  4th  •. 

"  Again  I  am  in  my  new  home,  and  my  song  ought  to  be 
unceasing  of  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord.  I  have  trav- 
elled in  these  past  two  weeks  two  thousand  two  hundred 
miles,  and  was  mercifully  saved  from  all  danger.  The  few 
brief  hours  we  spent  together  were  precious  beyond  all  esti- 


LIFE  IN   THE   GREAT    WEST.  20$ 

mate,  and  so  soon  passed  !  but  let  us  be  thankful  for  such  a 
mercy,  and  not  indulge  in  sad  thoughts.  I  found  the  ground 
covered  with  snow  here,  though  in  St.  Catharine's  we  had 
rain.     Yesterday  at  lo  o'clock  I  went  into  the  Sunday-school, 

and  found  good  Mr.  B in  his  place  as  superintendent  ;  a 

gentleman  came   in   to  instruct  the  children  in  singing,  and 

they  sang  very  sweetly.     I  had  all  the  service,  as  Mr.  T 

failed  to  make  his  appearance,  but,  strange  to  say,  I  was  but 
slightly  fatigued.  Many  pews  have  been  rented  since  I  took 
charge  of  the  church,  and  all  is  encouraging.  The  great  fair 
for  the  benefit  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  is  attracting 
many  to  the  city.  One  day  seven  thousand  dollars  were 
taken  in,  and  last  week  twenty  thousand  dollars  !  This  is 
the  way  they  do  things  in  this  wonderful  city. 

"  November  4. — Mr.  C went  with  me  to  a  printer  to 

have  some  circulars  and  Bible-class  questions  printed." 

From  the  circular  we  quote  a  portion  of  the  con- 
tents, that  an  idea  may  be  had  of  what  the  routine  of 
work  was  then  at  Trinity  : 

"  Sunday. — Divine  Services  at  10.30  a.m.  and  7.30  p.m. 
Holy  Communion  on  the  first  Sunday  of  each  month,  and  at 
Christmas  and  Easter.  Sermon  to  young  men  on  the  first 
Sunday  evening  of  each  month. 

"  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  is  administered  to  infants  on 
the  third  Sunday  afternoon  of  each  month,  at  3  o'clock. 

' '  The  Parish  Sunday-school  meets  each  Sunday  morning  at 
9  o'clock. 

"  Wednesday. — Divine  Service  and  Lecture  in  the  lecture- 
room  of  the  church  at  7.30  p.m.  The  course  of  lectures  for 
this  season  is  on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  or  the  History  of 
the  Apostolic  Church. 

"Friday. — The  Rector's  Bible-class  for  Adults  of  both 
sexes  meets  in  the  Lecture-room  at  7.30  p.m.  each  Friday. 


206  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"A  Preparatory  Service  and  Lecture  will  be  held  before  the 
Communion  on  Saturday,  at  7.30  P.M.,  preceding  each  Com- 
munion Sunjday. 

"  CHURCH   OFFERINGS   AND    CONTRIBUTIONS. 

"  On  the  first  Sunday  of  each  month  the  collection  is  for 
the  poor  and  needy,  to  be  disbursed  by  the  Rector. 

"  On  the  third  Sunday  morning  of  each  month,  except  July 
and  August,  a  special  collection  will  be  made  for  the  follow- 
ing charities,  in  this  order  : 

"  January. — Foreign  Missions  of  the  Church  in  Africa, 
China,  Japan,  Greece,  and  South  America. 

"  February. — For  the  Sunday-schools  of  Trinity  Church. 

"  March. — The  Diocesan  Fund — Support  of  the  Episco- 
pate. 

"  April. — Church  Publishing  Societies. 

"  May. —  Feeble  Parishes  and  Missionary  Stations — 
Church  Extension  beyond  the  Diocese. 

"June. — Distribution  of  Bibles,  Prayer-Books,  and 
Tracts. 

"  September. — City  Missions  and  other  City  Charities. 

"  October. — To  aid  the  Education  of  Students  for  the 
Ministry. 

"  November. — Diocesan  Missions — Church  Extension  in 
Illinois. 

"  December. — Domestic  Missions  in  the  Territories  and 
destitute  places  in  our  own  land. 

"  Thanksgiving  Day. — Special  Collection  for  the  Aged 
and  Infirm  Clergy  of  the  Diocese,  as  directed  by  a  Canon  of 
the  Convention." 

In  the  same  letter  of  November  4th  he  speaks 
gratefully  ot  the  generosity  of  one  of  his  church  mem- 
bers in  presenting  him  with  a  valuable  set  of  trappings 
for  the  horse  he  rode — "  another  instance  of  great 
generosity  on  the  part  of  this  people." 


LIFE  IN   THE    GREAT    WEST.  207 

Through  the  generous  and  thoughtful  care  for 
their  rector's  comfort,  ample  means  had  been  provided, 
apart  from  his  salary,  to  pack  and  bring  on  his  fur- 
niture, library,  etc.,  from  Baltimore.  A  kind  friend 
provided  a  safe  place  to  store  all  until  a  home  could 
be  occupied  by  himself  and  family. 

In  concluding  the  same  letter,  Dr.  Cummins 
writes  : 

"  Many,  many  thanks  for  your  kind  words  of  advice.  I 
love  them.  May  God  keep  me  humble,  and  near  to  the  cros? 
of  His  dear  Son. 

''  Sunday  afternoon,,  JVoi'ember  8,  1863. — I  have  not  felt 
before  such  a  longing  for  the  society  of  my  loved  ones  since  I 
left  you.  Oh  !  that  we  may  feel  a  greater  longing  for  the 
society  and  friendship  of  Jesus  and  '  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect  '  in  our  heavenly  home  !  Here  we  can  be  to- 
gether at  the  longest  for  only  a  few  fleeting  years,  but  that 
fellowship  is  eternal.  May  God  in  His  infinite  mercy  keep 
me  humble,  pure,  loving,  and  spiritually  minded,  and  sanc- 
tify me  daily,  and  all  my  precious  family,  for  His  heavenly 
kingdom.  I  pray  to  do  my  duty  faithfully  to  perishing  souls, 
to  preach  more  earnestly  than  ever  the  love  of  Christ,  and  to 
know  nothing  beyond  my  work.  My  field  is  indeed  a  won- 
drous one,  and  crowds  come  to  hear  ;  there  is  a  vast  deal  of 
irreligion  here,  and  I  try  to  preach  only  of  the  soul's  salva- 
tion or  loss,  of  Christ,  of  mercy,  of  redemption. 

"  This  morning  Dr.  T read  the  service  for  me,  and  I 

preached  from  Phil.  3:14.  The  congregation  was  very  large. 
Every  time  I  enter  the  church  and  see  such  a  throng  my  cry 
is  for  more  grace,  more  power,  more  fidelity  to  preach  Christ 
aright  !  Tuesday  night  the  church  will  be  open  to  give 
young  men  a  choice  of  single  sittings.  Thursday  afternoon 
the  Ladies'  Sewing  Society  is  to  be  revived.  My  assistant 
will  be  here  next  Sunday. 


208  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

'''  November  (),  Monday. — At  7.30  yesterday  we  had  ser- 
vice. I  preached  from  Matt.  22  :  13.  It  was,  I  trust,  a 
blessed  day  to  me.  I  tried  to  preach  the  love  of  Christ  more 
earnestly  than  I  have  ever  done  ;  the  congregation  seemed  to 
listen  with  interest,  and  I  trust  God  will  bless  His  word  each 
time  to  the  salvation  of  some  souls.  I  was  not  at  all  fatigued. 
I  cannot  doubt  this  climate  will  be  of  great  benefit  to  my 
health  ;  already  I  feel  stronger  than  I  did  in  Baltimore.  I 
have  spent  this  morning  in  visiting.  This  afternoon  at  5.30 
I  went  to  a  supper  given  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation to  the  clergy  of  Chicago.  The  object  was  to  make  a 
report  to  the  clergy  of  their  work,  and  they  adopted  the 
English  custom  of  a  feast  beforehand.  About  sixty  were 
present,  including  all  the  prominent  evangelical  clergymen  of 
the  city  and  a  number  of  laymen.  We  had  a  very  handsome 
supper,  after  which  reports  were  read  from  the  different  com- 
mittees, and  speeches  from  a  number  of  the  clergy, 

''November   11. — I   rejoice  to   hear  that  dear  G is 

taking   lessons  in    music  and    drawing.     The    arrangement 

about  the  children's  studies  is  a  delightful  one.     In  D 's 

and  your  work  for  our  friends  do  not  forget  Mr.  B .     I 

have  no  truer  or  nobler  friend  than  he  is  among  all  my  people 
here.  May  our  blessed  Saviour  ever  be  your  friend  and  com- 
forter ! 

"  November    13. — I   closed    my   letter   to   you    about    3 

o'clock,  and   started  for   Mrs.  S 's   residence,  about  five 

miles  from  Chicago,  where  the  Ladies'  Society  was  to  meet. 
There  were  about  forty  ladies  present.  I  addressed  them, 
telling  them  that  I  wished  them  to  work  for  my  assistant, 
who  would  also  be  a  missionary  in  the  city.  They  entered 
very  cordially  in  my  plan.  At  8  o'clock  I  read  a  chapter, 
and  we  sung  Bishop  Ken's  evening  hymn,  '  Glory  to  Thee, 
my  God,  this  Night,'  and  I  offered  a  prayer,  and  so  we  broke 
up.  It  is  a  pleasant  way  of  bringing  the  families  of  the  con- 
gregation together." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

SOWING    THE     SEED. 

"  Blessed  are  ye  that  sow  beside  all  waters." — Isaiah  32  :  20. 
Aged  41. 

NOVEMBER  16.—"  Yesterday,  Sunday,  the  storm  kept 
the  ladies  home,  but  I  had  a  good  congregation  of 
gentlemen,  both  morning  and  night.  We  have  had  our  first 
teachers'  meeting,  and  are  about  to  introduce  the  missionary 
system  into  the  Sunday-school,  and  I  hope  it  will  add  very 
much  to  its  efficiency  and  interest. 

"  Novei7iber  18. — I  am  now  constantly  occupied  in  visit- 
ing the  congregation,  and  hope  to  get  through  before  Christ- 
mas, though  we  are  continually  adding  to  the  number.  I 
have  not  yet  had  a  single  case  of  sickness  in  the  congregation. 
Is  not  this  remarkable  ?     I  am  very  glad  to  hear  such  pleasant 

accounts  of  the  children's  studies,  but  do  guard  dear  G 

from  studying  too  much. 

''November  21. — Thursday  at  5.30  o'clock  I  went  to  Mr. 

A 's  house,  our  junior  warden,  where  the  society  met. 

There  were  thirty  ladies  present,  despite  a  hard  rain.     We 

had  some  sweet  singing  by  Miss  M ,  one  of  our  choir.     I 

met  there  Dr.  DeL.  M ,  one  of  my  parishioners  just  re- 
turned from  Europe.  He  spent  a  week  with  Sir  James  Y. 
Simpson,  in  Edinburgh,  this  autumn.  He  says  that  Sir 
James  is  just  as  great  an  enthusiast  in  archseology,  in  re- 
ligion, and  in  our  war,  as  when  we  were  there.     At  8  o'clock 

we  dispersed,  and  Mr.  H 's  carriage  was  sent  to  take  me 

to  Rev.  Dr.  C 's.     It  was  his  birthday,  and  he  is  in  the 


2 TO  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


habit  of  having  the  clergy  at  his  house  to  supper.  Gold  is  up 
to  154  now  ;  the  cause  is  an  anticipation  of  danger  to  General 
Burnside,  who  is  besieged  by  Longstreet.  I  have  not  written 
you  any  thing  about  the  war.  It  is  too  mighty  a  theme  for  a 
letter  ;  I  must  wait  until  we  meet.  At  the  end  of  three  years 
it  seems  as  far  from  a  conclusion  as  ever.  May  God  in  mercy 
bring  us  peace  !  Yesterday  I  had  a  charming  ride,  and  feel 
better  for  every  one.  At  night  I  conducted  the  Bible-class  ; 
the  attendance  was  large,  and  the  exercises  very  pleasant. 
To-day  I  have  been  busy  directing  the  unpacking  of  my 
books  and  table,  and  arranging  them.  It  has  been  a  busy 
day,  but  the  room  looks  so  home-like  with  my  books  on  the 
shelves  !  On  Sunday  we  had  a  service  which  lasted  nearly 
two  hours  and  a  half.     I  had  to  read  a  pastoral  letter  from 

Bishop  W about  Thanksgiving,  and  take  up  a  collection 

for  diocesan  missions,  which  amounted  to  one  hundred  dol- 
lars— the  largest  they  have  ever  taken  for  that  purpose,  Judge 

O says.     I  want  to  make  it  one  hundred  and  fifty.     I 

have  prayed  for  you  in  church  and  in  my  own  room.  May 
our  Father  be  your  comforter  in  all  your  suffering  ! 

"  November  26. — This  is  a  day  set  apart  for  thanksgiving 
10  God,  and  I  have  tried  to  'count  up  my  blessings,'  and 
find  that  they  are  innumerable.  How  great  is  God's  good- 
ness to  me  in  my  restored  health,  in  my  ability  to  labor  in 
His  blessed  service,  in  my  many  friends,  in  my  comfortable 
position,  and  the  hope  of  your  improvement,  but  above  all 
in  the  love  of  Christ,  in  His  unwearied  forbearance  towards 
me,  and  His  loving-kindness  ever  new,  ever  fresh  !  For  all 
these  I  bless  and  magnify  His  holy  name,  and  desire  to  renew 
my  dedication  of  myself  this  day  to  His  service  and  His 
glory.  May  He  take  me  and  mine  and  make  us  all  and  alto- 
gether His,  and  sanctify  us  by  His  Holy  Spirit  !  I  have  a 
difficult  work  to  perform  to-day,  but  hope  to  go  through  it 
with  His  help.  I  have  chosen  as  my  theme,  '  The  Christian's 
Ground  of  Hope  for  the  Future  of  his  Country, '  and  my  text 


SOWING   THE   SEED.  211 

is  Psalm  20  :  7.     Mr.  C and  Mr.  R had   my  sermon 

printed   in    the   daily   papers.     Yesterday    I    called   on    Dr. 

D ,  of  New  York,  who  came  to  Chicago  the  night  before. 

Dr.   and  Mrs.  C came  up  to  the  chancel  to  speak  with 

me.     Dr.  C has  been  on  a  tour  of  duty  in  the  West.     I 

am  delighted  to  hear  of  the  children's  rapid  improvement 

under  Rev.  Mr.  C .     I  am  still  more  delighted  to  know 

that  L is  engaged  in  ministering  to  the  poor  and  the  sick  ; 

it  is  a  blessed  ministry  of  mercy,  and  I  hope  she  will  grow 
up  finding  it  to  be  her  greatest  delight.  Nothing,  I  think,  more 
surely  ripens  in  any  one  all  the  loveliest  Christian  graces. 

''  Not'emher  28. — Thursday  I  went  to  see  Dr.  D ,  of  New 

York,  and   took    him   to  see  our  church.     The  doctor  thinks 

Trinity  next  to  St. 's   in   New   York  in  size,  and  very 

beautiful.  St.  's  has  two  hundred  pews  on  the  ground- 
floor,  and  Trinity  one  hundred  and  eighty.     Dr.  D has 

never  been  to  Chicago  before,  and  is  surprised  at  all  he  sees 
here.  In  the  afternoon  I  buried  the  young  man  whom  I  was 
called  to  see  Sunday  night.  The  weather  is  now  very  cold. 
Winter  has  set  in.  You  will  be  amused  when  I  tell  you  that 
a  large  white  owl  flew  into  the  church,  and  has  quietly  seated 
himself  on  one  of  the  projections  in  the  chancel  very  high  up, 
and  there  he  sits,  grim  and  solemn,  not  in  the  least  disturbed 
by  the  music,  preaching,  or  the  presence  of  the  people  ! 

"  November  30. — Thermometer  at  10°  Fahr.,  yet  we  had 

a  full  church  yesterday.     Dr.  D was  present.      Dr.  Van 

D read  for  me.     I  preached  from  Exodus  32  :  26.     You 

will  be  glad  to  hear  that  not  a  single  desirable  pew  remains 
unrented.  We  hope  all  the  debt  will  be  paid  at  Easter.  .  .  . 
All  is  anxiety  and  excitement  about  war  news,  and  I  fear  the 
next  few  days  will  be  full  of  eventful  tidings. 

"  December  3. — Went  to  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Aged  Women's  Home.  Visited  morning  and 
afternoon. 

"  Dece)iiber  6. — Bishop  Lee,  of  Iowa,  preaches  for  me  to- 


212  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

day.  He  is  here  soliciting  aid  for  his  school  for  girls  at  Du- 
buque. Friday  evening  we  had  an  interesting  meeting  of  the 
Bible-class  ;    the   answers    were   very   prompt    and    correct. 

Saturday  was  devoted  to  visiting.     I  dined  at  Mr.  E 's 

with  Bishop   Lee,    Bishop  W ,  of  M ,  and  Rev.  Dr. 

C .  On  Saturday  I  had  the  Preparatory  Communion  Ser- 
vice, the  first  held  in  Trinity  for  years.  It  was  well  attended. 
Our  communion  list  is  very  small  for  so  large  a  church.  A 
mighty  work  is  needed  to  be  done  here  for  Christ  and  the  sal- 
vation of  souls.  Worldliness  prevails  everywhere.  This  is  a 
day  I  can  never  cease  to  praise,  so  bright,  so  beautiful,  so 
perfect — '  The  bridal  of  the  earth  and  sky, '  as  George  Her- 
bert sings.   Dr.  A ,  from  Quebec,  read  the  morning  prayer  ; 

I  read  the  Litany.  The  bishop's  text  was,  '  And  I  saw  a 
great  white  throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it ' — a  most  excel- 
lent and  faithful  sermon.  I  longed  for  you  and  the  children, 
and  thought  of  my  precious  daughter  at  communion  at  the 
same  hour  with  me,  and  prayed  that  God  would  make  her  a 
shining  light  in  His  church.  This  afternoon  I  preach  to  the 
children." 

The  next  letter  from  Dr.  Cummins  from  which  we 
quote  is  dated 

"  December  1 1. — This  is  my  birthday.  I  am  now  forty-one 
years  old.  It  has  been  a  day  of  many  thoughts,  some  sad  and 
others  cheering.  How  profound  and  unceasing  ought  my  grati- 
tude be  to  God  that  He  has  permitted  me  to  live  so  long,  and 
above  all,  that  more  than  half  of  my  life  has  been  spent  in 
preaching  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ !  for  I  commenced 
my  ministry  when  I  was  only  twenty  years  of  age.  Alas  !  I 
can  look  back  upon  a  record  blotted  and  marred  by  ever- 
recurring  failures,  infirmities,  and  sins,  and  yet  one  thought 
cheers  me  amidst  it  all.  I  trust  I  am  slowly  gaining  mastery, 
and  making  some  improvement  in  Christian  character.  I 
have  this  day  renewed  my  consecration  to  God,  and  as  I  can- 


SOWING    THE   SEED.  21 3 

not  look  forward  to  twenty  years  more,  and  have  no  right  to 
count  upon  a  shigleyear,  I  would  be  more  earnest  and  devoted 
in  my  work  of  winning  souls  to  Christ,  knowing  '  that  the  night 
cometh  when  no  man  can  work. '  How  strange  and  eventful 
has  our  life  been  !  The  changes  in  our  homes,  your  long- 
continued  illness — surely  we  ought  to  feel  that  God  is  disci- 
plining us  by  His  providence  and  His  chastenings  to  purify 
us  and  make  us  meet  for  heaven.  And  while  He  chastens  us, 
His  mercies  are  not  restrained  to  us.  In  the  midst  of  the 
awful  calamities  to  our  land,  and  while  so  many  of  our  old 
friends  are  in  desolation  and  suffering  of  every  kind,  we  are 
blessed  with  an  ample  support,  our  precious  children  spared 
to  us,  and  the  eldest,  we  trust,  a  child  of  God  !  Let  us  dwell 
on  these  blessings,  and  not  on  our  trials  ;  and  let  us  draw 
nigh  to  God,  and  commit  all  to  Him  and  trust  Him  for  the 
future. 

"December  14. — I  have  nearly  gone  through  my  visiting- 
list  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  families.  The  work  here 
is  very  light,  having  few  sick  persons  to  visit,  and  the  climate 
is  so  bracing  that  I  trust  by  God's  blessing  my  health  may 
continue  to  grow  stronger.  We  have  no  poor  people  in  Trin- 
ity Church,  but  I  intend  to  start  a  mission  in  some  destitute 
part  of  this  city,  and  have  my  assistant  preach  every  Sunday 
afternoon  there,  and  also  establish  a  mission  Sunday-school. 

''December  16. — What  a  joy  I  have  had  to-day  in  receiv- 
ing your  letter  telling  me  you  are  better  !  My  heart  was  full 
of  gladness  and  gratitude  ;  and  yet  I  had  not  read  it  half 
through  before  my  heart  was  filled  with  anxiety  over  our  dear 
boy. 

"  '  Bits  of  gladness  and  of  sorrow 

Strangely  crossed  and  interlaid  ; 
Bits  of  cloud-belt  and  of  rainbow 
In  a  deep  alternate  braid. 

"  '  Days  of  fever  and  of  fretting, 

Hours  of  kind  and  blessed  calm  ; 
Boughs  of  cedar  and  of  cypress, 
Wreaths  of  olive  and  of  palm. 


214  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


Noons  of  musing,  nights  of  dreaming, 
Words  of  love,  and  ways  of  strife — 

Tears  of  parting,  smiles  of  meeting, 
Paths  of  smooth  and  nigged  life. ' 

"  These  are  Bonar's  sweet  lines,  and  I  have  more  for  you 
when  we  meet.  May  our  heavenly  Father  restore  our  boy 
to  health  ! 

"  I  wrote  to-day  to  our  dear  boy,  urging  him  to  give  his 
heart  to  Jesus  now  in  his  childhood,  before  days  of  sin  and 
sorrow  come  to  him,  I  have  felt  very  anxious  about  him 
since  receiving  your  letter,  and  have  again  and  again  com- 
mitted him  in  prayer  to  God.  Snow-storms  follow  each  other 
here  in  quick  succession,  and  the  pavements  are  covered  with 
ice,  and  the  Lake  roars  like  the  ocean.  I  hope  these  storms 
will  not  prevent  my  getting  to  St.  Catharine's. 

"  December  19. — Just  heard  of  the  death  of  dear  Dr.  May, 
of  the  Virginia  Seminary.  He  ever  impressed  me  as  walking 
so  closely  with  Christ.  May  we  strive  to  copy  the  example 
of  two  such  friends  as  Dr.  and  Mrs.  May  !" 

At  this  time  Dr.  Cummins  received  a  sad  letter 
from  an  old  friend  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  whose  de- 
lightful home  was  his  and  his  young  wife's  home  also 
for  several  months  when  they  first  went  to  Norfolk  : 

"  Norfolk,  December  17,  1863. 

"  My  Dear  Friend  :  We  have  passed  through  sore  trials 
since  I  last  saw  you,  and  a  sad  change  has  passed  over  our 
comfortable  and  happy  home,  which  I  have  decided  to  aban- 
don and  seek  another  in  Baltimore.  I  and  mine  have  much 
to  be  thankful  for  in  the  midst  of  the  troubles  that  afflict  our 
people.  I  will  not  harrow  you  with  the  recital  of  the  suffer- 
ings that  have  been  endured  by  our  people,  now  reduced  al- 
most to  pauperism. 

' '  When  you  write,  do  so  as  in  olden  times  to  a  sincere  friend 


SOWING    THE    SEED.  21  5 

who  has  never  lost  his  interest  in  you  and  yours.      I  hope  Mrs. 

C 's  health  is  improved,  and  that  yours  has  not  given  way. 

L and  G are  no  doubt  realizing  the  bright  promise 

of  their   childhood.       Remember  me   most   affectionately   to 

them.     Mrs.  T joins  me  in  kindest  remembrance  to  Mrs. 

C and  yourself. 

"  Your  sincere  friend,  T T •. " 

''  December  2^. — Oh!  there  is  such  a  work  to  be  done 
here  for  Christ  that  every  opportunity  to  preach  Him  is 
precious.  To-day  I  received  the  inclosed  letter  from  Nor- 
folk. It  is  very  sad  and  touching.  How  wonderful  are 
God's  ways  !  And  how  unspeakably  precious  to  know  that 
He  is  always  good,  merciful,  loving,  just,  and  wise  !  I  can- 
not nor  would  I  dare  to  predict  what  the  end  of  it  all  will  be. 
That  God  is  working  out  His  will  through  the  wrath  of  man, 
I  must  ever  believe.  But  one  thing  seems  wonderful  to  me  : 
how  gigantic  a  work  of  charity  He  is  placing  upon  the  nation. 
Here  are  hundreds  of  hospitals  filled  with  sick  and  wounded, 
soldiers'  families  in  need  and  suffering,  and,  last,  the  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  the  poor  colored  people  needing  so  much  to 
keep  them  from  the  jaws  of  death. 

"  December  2^. — I  wish  to  establish  a  Mothers'  Meeting 
in  our  midst,  and  use  every  other  instrumentality  that  may 
elevate  and  bless  my  people.  There  is  a  vast  deal  to  be  done 
here,  and  we  have  a  noble  church  and  a  grand  field,  and  we 
ought  to  be  happy  in  doing  the  Master's  work.  It  is  vastly 
harder  to  suffer  and  wait  than  to  work,  and  surely  He  means 
only  to  purify  you  through  patient  waiting  and  enduring.  May 
He  draw  you  nearer  to  Himself  by  this  fellowship  in  suffer- 
ing with  Him  which  He  has  called  you  to  share  ! 

"  December  24. — This  is  Christmas-eve,  a  time  when  we  are 
accustomed  to  gather  in  our  own  home-circle  and  make  each 
other  happy  by  our  little  gifts.  I  feel  quite  lonely  this 
evening,  as  it  recalls  our  happy  hours  in  by-gone  years." 


2l6  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


Dr.  Cummins  left  Chicago,  after  his  duties  were 
over  at  Christmas,  for  St,  Catharine's,  where  he 
passed  a  few  days,  and  then  returned  home  with  his 
son,  whose  health  had  not  been  very  good,  and  a 
change  of  air  was  thought  desirable  for  him.  They 
had  a  memorable  journey  back,  encountering  one  of 
the  most  severe  snow-storms  that  had  been  known  for 
twenty-seven  years.  Through  the  great  kindness  and 
thoughtfulness  of  one  of  his  vestry,  who  was  then 
General  Superintendent  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad,  he  was  made  more  comfortable  than  others, 

but   his   kind  friend    Mr.  S was  severely  frosted 

through  his  generous  exertions  to  relieve  the  sufferers. 
The  cold  was  intense,  thermometers  standing  at  36° 
below  zero,  so  that  all  who  were  at  all  exposed  to  it 
suffered  severely,  and  in  many  cases  were  fatally  in- 
jured. Much  anxiety  was  felt  for  the  safety  of  their 
pastor,  but  through  God's  mercy  he  and  his  young 
son  were  spared  from  injury.  In  returning  to  Chica- 
go Dr.  Cummins  felt  more  deeply  than  ever  his  sepa- 
ration from  his  family  under  such  circumstances. 
After  speaking  in  one  of  his  letters  of  this  trial,  he 
adds  : 

"  But  it  would  be  ungrateful  and  sinful  to  allow  such  feel- 
ings to  prevail,  for  we  are  in  the  path  of  duty,  trying  to  act 
wisely  and  for  the  best,  and  God  is  so  merciful  that  we  must 
dwell  chiefly  on  His  loving-kindness. ' ' 

In  a  letter  dated  January  12th,  1864,  he  records 
the  kind  acts  of  several  friends  : 

"  Mr.  S— —  G gave  a  pair  of  valuable  skates.     Mr. 

W also  remembered  us,  and  good  Mr.   S came  to 


SOWING    THE    SEED.  21/ 

offer  us  a  horse  and  sleigh.     Every  day  we  are  receiving 

some  new  token  of  kindness  from  our  friends.     Mr.  H 

sent  you  five  dozen  partridges.  He  and  all  our  friends  were 
greatly  pleased  with  the  gifts.  Surely,  as  father  writes,  '  the 
lines  have  fallen  unto  us  in  pleasant  places.'  We  are  sur- 
rounded by  the  very  kindest  of  friends,  so  thoughtful  in  min- 
istering to  our  comfort." 

After  Dr.  Cummins  returned  to  Chicago,  the  ist 
of  January,  his  wife  and  children  removed  from  lodg- 
ings to  a  furnished  house.     He  writes,  January  14th  : 

"  I  have  followed  you  to  the  house  to  which  I  trust  you 
were  able  to  be  moved  on  Monday,  and  I  try  to  imagine  how 
you  are  fixed,  and  hope  that  you  will  find  it  comfortable.  I 
am  happy  to  know  you  are  in  a  home  of  our  own.  As  I 
write,  G is  studying.  He  is  almost  my  constant  com- 
panion, and  a  great  comfort  to  me. 

^'January  15. — I  have  been  deeply  touched  to  hear  of  the 

kindness  of  Rev.  Mr.  R and  his  family  to  you  in  moving 

and  arranging  for  your  comfort.  Surely  we  are  most  highly 
blessed  with  such  kind  friends  ministering  to  our  comfort 
here,  and  such  sweet  Christian  spirits  ministering  to  you 
there.     May  God  reward  them  ! 

**  January  18. — I  have  been  constantly  occupied  since  my 
return  with  parochial  work.  My  Bible-class  is  very  pleasant 
and  well  attended.  The  lectures  Wednesday  evenings  seem 
to  be  of  great  interest  to  my  people,  and  the  Sunday  congre- 
gations are  very  large.  I  had  last  evening  a  long  visit  from  a 
Baptist  clergyman  who  is  coming  into  our  Church.  I  ad- 
vised  him  to  place   himself  under  the  guidance  of  Bishop 

Mcllvaine.     During   his  visit   Bishop  W called  with  his 

chaplain  and  sat  a  long  time.  The  bishop  came  to  ask  me  to 
preach  an  ordination  sermon  next  week.  Had  a  long  letter 
from  W W ,  of  Leesburg,  Va.     I  will  do  all  I  can  in 


2l8  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMIN'S. 


sending  him  the  Bibles  and  Sunday-school  library.   Dear  G 

has  been  quite  ill,  but  is  now  much  better.  He  has  been  enjoy- 
ing a  splendid  copy  of  Audubon's  Birds,  and  a  Portrait  Gal- 
lery of  Indians,  to-day.     Among  the  latter  he  found  the  chief 

of  the  Six  Nations  and  grandfather  to  Mr.  K ,  whom  we 

met  at  St.  Catharine's,  and  who  is  going  to  Europe  with  Dr. 

McM .     I  have  not  had  time  to  read   '  Say  and  Seal.' 

Would  that  we  had  more  such  choice  spirits  as  Miss  Susan 
Warner  and  her  sister  ! 

'' Jariuary  20. — Our   dear  boy   is   quite   well   again,  for 
which  I  am  deeply  thankful.     I  went  out  to-day  to  see  about 

several  matters  ;  had  a  long  chat  with  Mr.  C .     He  spoke 

of  the  rectory,  and  said  he  had  told  Mrs.  C how  beauti- 
ful our  home  was  in  Baltimore  ;  that  he  had  a  glimpse  into 
the  dining-room  from  the  parlors,  and  that  he  wanted  to  have 
the  rectory  here  in  the  same  tasteful  style.     Went  to    see 

Mrs.  S ;  found  her  more  ill.     She  is  an  earnest  Christian, 

and  is  willing  to  die  if  it  be  God's  will.  How  precious  it  is 
to  find  such  firm  faith  in  one  to  whom  life  has  so  many  attrac- 
tions !     Mr.  C ,  Mr.  F ,  and  Mr.  S called  to  ask 

me  to  allow  my  sermons  of  last  Sunday  to  be  printed,  but  I 

declined.      Kind  Mr.  S has  just  sent  me  a  valuable  work, 

'  The  Life  and  Times  of  John  Huss, '  in  two  volumes  ;  it  is 
just  out.  I  have  thought  that  it  would  be  improving  for  us 
to  select  a  verse  of  Scripture  to  make  the  theme  of  our  medi- 
tation conjointly  for  one  week.  We  will  then  be  dwelling  to- 
gether upon  the  same  precious  truths  of  God's  Word.  I 
will  select  one  this  week,  and  you  can  do  so  the  next.  Mine 
is  Philippians  4  :  3,  and  may  the  blessed  Saviour  make  us  to 
realize  it  in  our  own  hearts  in  this  our  time  of  trial !  If  we 
trust  Him,  He  will  turn  our  sorrow  into  joy,  and  after  these 
weary  days  make  our  life  bright  and  blessed  in  our  united 
effort  to  serve  and  love  Him.  To-day  I  sent  off  a  copy  of 
Mrs.  Hoffman's  Memoir  to  Miss  Warner. 

'' Jamiary   25. — Took  tea  at  Mr.  C 's  with    G . 


SOWING    THE   SEED.  219 

They  were  very  kind.     Mr.  C says  G is  a  splendid 

fellow.  Had  a  long  talk  about  Trinity,  the  rectory,  and  my 
work.  It  is  always  helping  to  hear  his  enthusiastic  remarks 
about  the  importance  of  my  work,  and  of  my  influence  for 
good.  He  says  he  always  shall  think  it  a  most  happy  ar- 
rangement that  he  went  on  to  1! and  was  able  to  see  you 

and  get  you  on  his  side,  and  that  he  was  so  glad  to  have  seen 
our  lovely  home.  Yesterday,  Sunday,  I  took  up  a  collection 
for  foreign  missions — one  hundred  and  eighty  dollars.  At 
night  preached  from  Isaiah  5  :  4  to  a  very  crowded  congre- 
gation. 

"January  28. — I  thought  at  one  time  that  I  would  have  to 
forego  my  usual  delightful  Lenten  services.  Trinity  Church 
has  never  been  opened  for  a  week-day  service  in  Lent,  except 
on  Ash-Wednesday  and  Good-Friday.  The  gentlemen  are 
entirely  absorbed  all  day  in  business,  and  the  women  are  un- 
accustomed to  attend  any  week-day  services.  But  I  deter- 
mined to  try  the  experiment,  and  intend  to  deliver  the  course 
on  the  Epistle  to  the  Seven  Churches.  I  will  issue  a  cir- 
cular to  the  people.  Yesterday  the  thermometer  hanging  on 
the  south  wall  of  Mr.  H 's  house  stood  at  72°,  and  the  tu- 
lips have  sprung  above  the  ground.  This  in  the  North-west, 
a  thousand  miles  from  Norfolk,  where  we  had  such  weather 
in  the  winter  !  And  yet  last  week  the  cold  was  fearful.  Your 
letter  has  filled  my  heart  with  joy  !  Oh  !  that  we  may  be  one 
in  Jesus,  and  all  our  little  family  united  to  be  forever  with 
the  Lord  !  Let  earthly  care  be  a  heavenly  discipline.  Do 
you  remember  dear  Dean  Ramsey  told  me  of  his  sainted  wife, 
when  he  showed  me  the  memorial  window  in  his  church,  rep- 
resenting the  scene  at  Bethany,  and  said  she  always  called 
herself  a  Martha,  but  now  she  is  at  the  Lord's  feet  !  How 
little  will  all  life's  trials  appear  when  we  meet  before  the 
Master  !  G is  very  happy  with  me  ;  he  is  studying  reg- 
ularly. Every  one  is  kind  to  him,  and  he  is  a  general  favor- 
ite.    Mrs.  H 's  boys  make  him  a  model  in  every  thing.    It 


220  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

is  very  amusing  to  watch  them.  May  God,  even  our  own 
Covenant  God,  bless,  comfort,  and  keep  you  ! 

"February  8,  1864. — I  have  ever  tried  to  make  my  Lenten 
services  a  special  blessing  to  my  people.  An  interest  has 
already  been  awakened  in  the  course  of  lectures,  and  I  hope 
great  good  will  be  done.  On  Sunday  the  church  was  very 
full,  and  I  preached  from  the  text,  '  We  love  Him  because 
He  first  loved  us,'  and  at  night  one  of  my  regular  sermons 
to  young  men.  My  sermon  was,  '  The  Game  of  Life. '  The 
church  could  not  hold  all  who  came,  and  I  trust  good  was 
done.  Had  a  letter  to-day  from  Miss  Warner  ;  was  it  not 
interesting  ? 

"February  10. — I  have  lately  had  to  take  quite  a  decided 
stand  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  evangelical  truth.  When  I 
came  here  I  v/as  called  on  to  aid  in  the  support  of  a  church 
paper.  I  consented  on  the  condition  that  it  should  be  made 
acceptable  to  all  classes  of  churchmen,  and  occupy  a  broad 
and  common  ground.  But  so  far  from  occupying  such 
ground,  it  has  ever  since  been  most  offensive  in  its  tone  of 
flippant  taunts  of  other  Christian  churches,  and  I  feel  that  I 
can  no  longer  support  it.  I  shall  consequently  withdraw  my 
name.  The  cause  of  evangelical  truth  is  very  dear  to  me  , 
and  though  I  try  to  work  harmoniously  with  those  who  differ 
with  me,  /  cannot  compro7?iise  what  I  believe  to  be  Gospel  truth. 
My  position  in  that  respect  is  one  of  great  importance,  and  I 
am  determined  to  wield  it  in  behalf  of  the  precious  truth  of 
Christ.  This  beginning  of  Lent  makes  me  think  much  of 
you  :  our  Lenten  seasons  in  Baltimore  were  so  delightful. 
May  you,  through  the  great  mercy  of  God,  be  able  to  join  in 
these  services  next  year  !  We  are  supporting  a  student  at 
Griswold  College,  and  I  shall  send  W W the  Sunday- 
school  library,  costing  one  hundred  dollars,  so  just  now  my 
charity  fund  has  been  absorbed,  but  I  will  try  to  help  Mrs. 
H after  a  while. 

"February  16. — Yesterday  morning  was  balmy  and  mild  ; 


SOWING   THE   SEED.  221 

to-day  we  are  again  in  an  arctic  temperature — thermometer 
standing  at  io°,  12°,  and  14°  below  zero  in  different  places, 
and  the  wind  blowing  heavily  all  day. 

''February  17. — Despite  the  intense  cold  we  had  a  fine 
attendance  at  church  yesterday.  I  want  to  tell  you  how 
much  pleasure  I  have  had  in  reading  '  Say  and  Seal. '  I  can 
now  understand  why  you  hesitated  when  I  asked  you  if  the 
'  Old  Helmet '  was  not  superior  to  '  Say  and  Seal. '  I  think 
the  character  of  Mr.  Linden  more  attractive  than  that  of  Mr. 
Rhys — that  is,  he  is  not  quite  so  far  removed  from  the  rest  of 
mortals,  and  there  is  more  of  the  every-day  features  of  life 
about  him.  And  what  a  beautiful  character  is  Faith's, 
ripening  daily  into  a  noble  womanhood  under  Mr.  Linden's 
teaching  and  training  !  I  think  the  effect  of  Miss  Warner's 
works  upon  the  heart  is  exceedingly  helping  and  encouraging, 
and  though  we  may  feel  that  the  characters  are  ideal  ones,  yet 
we  know  that  they  are  such  as  can  be  lived  by  so  many  of 
Christ's  people.  And  then  how  lovely  she  makes  a  religious 
life — presenting  it  in  the  fullest,  freshest  sympathy  with  all 
that  is  beautiful  in  nature,  refined  in  taste,  and  cultivated  in 
intellectual  matters  !  I  think  no  true  Christian  can  read  her 
works  without  feeling  new  longing  for  a  fresh  consecration  to 

God.     Went  to-day  to  see  Mr.  C •  about  the  church  paper 

of  which  I  wrote  you.  My  moving  in  the  matter  has  made 
quite  a  stir  among  all  parties  concerned  in  it,  and  they  have 
promised  to  try  to  make  the  paper  acceptable  to  all.  I  have 
determined  to  wait  and  see,  as  I  am  truly  anxious  to  preserve 
harmonious  relations  with  all  classes  of  churchmen  in  the 
diocese,  and  nothing  but  the  duty  of  sustaining  the  precious 
truth  of  the  Gospel^  as  I  understand  it,  will  move  me  to  an  an- 
tagonistic position.  I  have  been  much  distressed  to  hear  of 
your  state,  but  how  short  and  utterly  insignificant  will  all 
earth's  sorrows  and  sufferings  appear  when  looked  back  upon 
from  eternity  !  Think  you  that  when  you  are  '  forever  with 
the  Lord'  you  will  ever  regret  one  hour  of  pain  that  drew 


222  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

you  nearer  to  him  ?  A  trial  sanctified  is  a  blessing  far  above 
a  trial  removed.  True  indeed  that  only  a  heart  taught  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  can  enter  into  such  truths  and  feel  their  bless- 
edness. .  .  .  Wednesday  evening  I  took  tea  by  special 
invitation  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B .  I  accept  these  invita- 
tions in  order  that  I  may  the  better  know  my  people,  and  be 
able,  I  trust,  more  effectually  to  reach  their  hearts. 

''March  2. — I  continue  to  receive  very  cheering  evidences 

of  God's  blessing  upon  my  labors.     Mr.  W told  me  last 

evening  that  Mr.  D •  was  deeply  interested  in  the  subject 

ot  personal  religion,  and  I  hear  of  others  whose  hearts  are,  I 
think,  touched — some  who  have  been  thought  very  indiffer- 
ent. This  is  very  precious  to  me,  and  I  trust  that  this  spring 
will  bring  an  accession  to  the  church  of  not  a  few  who  are 
truly  brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  Jesus.  Yesterday 
afternoon  I  delivered  my  first  lecture  on  the  Church  at  Sar- 
dis  ;  the  day  was  beautiful  and  the  attendance  excellent.  My 
theme  was  chiefly  on  spiritual  declension,  from  the  words, 
'  Thou  hast  a  name  to  live,  and  art  dead,'  and  I  hope  my 
own  heart  felt  the  benefit  of  the  truth.  I  am  very  happy  to 
know  that  you  are  meditating  so  much  upon  the  striking 
promises  in  the  Epistles  to  the  Seven  Churches.  Do  you 
know  that  the  promise  in  Rev.  2  :  17  is  believed  by  many 
of  the  best  writers  to  refer  not  so  much  to  future  and  heav- 
enly blessedness,  as  to  the  believer's  present  privileges — the 
'  hidden  manna  '  meaning  the  soul's  food,  and  the  '  white 
stone  and  new  name  '  referring  to  and  symbolizing  the  imme- 
diate communion  between  Jesus  and  each  of  his  true  servants 
— the  sweet  interchange  of  Christian  love,  that  which  is 
known  only  to  the  soul  that  experiences  it.  The  other  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  which  brought  you  such  peace  are  very  full 
of  consolation.  The  Bible  is  truly  the  Word  of  God  spoken 
afresh  to  each  soul  by  him,  who  uses  it  as  a  sword,  and  also 
as  balm  to  the  wounded  heart. 

'''March  5,  1864. — This  day  is  the  anniversary  of  our  young- 


SOWING    THE   SEED.  223 

est  child's  birth.  Six  years  have  passed  since  that  memorable 
time  when  I  thought  you  were  going  before  me  into  the  spirit- 
world.  Surely  we  ought  ever  to  remember  all  the  way  God 
has  led  us  !  And  from  that  scene  my  mind  is  carried  back  to 
that  more  distressing  period  in  Edinburgh,  when  I  thought 
you  were  going  away  from  earth  without  a  sight  of  our  chil- 
dren. Oh  !  how  good  God  has  been  to  us,  chastening  us  in 
love,  and  drawing  us  nearer  to  him  by  his  gracious  disci- 
pline ! 

"How  truly  and  intensely  a  Christian's  heart  can  enjoy 
the  beauty  of  God's  works  !  I  came  home  to-day  near  the 
lake,  and  it  was  looking  more  beautiful  than  ever.  Near  me  the 
water  was  of  a  light  bluish-green  color,  further  away  of  a  deep 
blue,  and  the  horizon  fringed  by  violet-colored  clouds.  I  am 
sure  this  lovely  lake  will  ever  be  a  thing  of  beauty  and  delight 
to  you. 

"The  Rev.  Mr.  Auer,  of  our  African  Mission,  addressed 
the  Sunday-school  and  preached  for  me  concerning  the  work 
in  Africa, 

"Yesterday  I  read  a  valuable  and  impressive  charge  from 
Bishop  Mcllvaine  to  his  clergy  on  '  Preaching  Christ, '  and 
it  has  made  me  anxious  that  every  sermon  should  lead  to 
Christ.,  and  set  him  forth  as  the  sinner's  only  hope.  The 
bishop  shows  very  clearly  how  a  minister  may  preach  impor- 
tant truth,  and  yet  fail  really  in  preaching  Christ. 

''''March  9. — I  find  other   indications   of  a  blessing  on  my 

labors.     Yesterday  afternoon  I  went  to  visit  a  Mr.  W , 

who  has  been  very  ill.  I  found  him  quite  ready  to  receive 
any  religious  counsel.  He  spoke  of  the  good  my  sermons 
had  done,  and  said  they  were  such  as  to  set  him  thinking 
deeply,  and  that  all  his  friends  felt  in  the  same  way.  I  hope 
he  will  become  an  earnest  Christian.  Thus  I  am  encouraged 
to  find  God's  word  not  returning  to  him  void,  but  doing  its 
blessed  work  in  the  awakening  and  conversion  of  precious 
souls.     Many  ladies  tell  me  they  could  not  get  their  husbands 


224  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

to  come  to  church  before,  and  now  they  come  to  every  ser- 
vice. And  at  our  afternoon  lectures  we  have  a  number  of 
gentlemen,  more,  I  think,  than  came  in  Baltimore.  I  am 
greatly  cheered  by  these  tokens  of  good,  and  hope  that  a  great 
work  will  yet  be  done." 

Dr.  Cummins  thus  writes  of  the  death  of  a  class- 
mate at  college,  a  man  of  fine  ability  and  who  gave 
promise  of  being  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God 
of  bringing  many  souls  to  Jesus.  Although  for  some 
years  he  was  a  most  eloquent  preacher,  yet  his  last 
days  were  inexpressibly  dark  and  sad. 

"  March  II. — Have   just   heard  that  poor  C died  on 

Saturday  in  Philadelphia.  '  Who  maketh  thee  to  differ,'  is 
the  lesson  to  me." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

WORK   FOR  JESUS. 

"  Behold  I  have  given  him  for  a  witness  to  the  people." — Isaiah 
55  :  4- 

"  For  ye  have  need  of  patience,  that  after  ye  have  done  the  will 
of  God,  ye  might  receive  the  promise." — Heb.  io  :  26. 

Aged   42 

"  Chicago,  March  26. 

/^~\  S  Wednesday  evening  I  preached  for  Rev.  Dr.  Bishop 
V^  at  his  church — St.  John's — one  of  a  series  prepara- 
tory to  confirmation.  He  is  a  very  earnest,  evangelical  cler- 
g}'man.  Thursday  there  was  a  communion  service  at  St. 
James's — Rev.  Dr.  Clarkson's.  I  made  an  address.  This 
morning — Good-Friday — I  preached  from  St.  John  10  :  17,  18. 
To-night  we  have  service  again,  and  I  deliver  my  last  lecture 
on  the  '  Seven  Churches,'  and  then  Easter  closes  up  the 
record  of  my  work  since  the  first  of  October,  1863." 

Dr.  Cummins,  accompanied  by  his  young  son,  vis- 
ited St.  Catharine's  after  Easter,  and  remained  with 
his  family  ten  days.  This  visit  cheered  him  greatly, 
and  he  returned  to  his  work  with  renewed  zeal.  He 
writes  under  date  of 

"  April  ^. — How  merciful  is  God  to  me  !    My  first  act  on 

reaching  my  room  at  kind  Mr.  H 's  was  to  kneel  down  and 

thank  him  for  all  my  mercies,  and  pray  to  be  able  to  consecrate 
myself  anew  to  him  in  the  blessed  work  of  preaching  Christ  and 
of  saving  souls.     It  was  a  sweet  picture  that  met  my  eye  as  I 


226  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

turned  back  to  look  once  more  at  the  house  as  I  rode  away  ; 
our  three  precious  children  standing  on  the  porch  in  the 
beautiful  sunlight  waving  me  a  last '  Good-by. '  I  felt  thank- 
ful for  such  children,  for  the  comfortable  temporary  home, 
and  for  the  dear  happy  hours  where  we  were  permitted  to 
be  all  together.  The  one  shadow  that  clouded  our  happiness 
had  its  '  silver  lining,'  for  through  this  severe  trial  we  have 
been  brought  nearer  to  God. 

"  When  I  reached  Chicago  good  Mr.  S met  me,  with 

a  bright  face,  and  asked  if  I  had  received  his  telegram.  I 
said  '  No,'  and  then  he  told  me  the  good  news  that  at  a 
meeting  of  the  vestry,  on  Thursday  night,  the  whole  sum  was 
raised  necessary  to  clear  off  the  entire  debt  !  and  that  my 
salary  had  been  increased  a  thousand  dollars  !  You  may 
imagine  my  joy  and  gratitude,  for  now  Trinity  can  be  conse- 
crated !     I  said  to  Mr.  S ,  '  Well,    you  are  the  kindest 

and  most  generous  people  I  ever  met  with.'  The  vestry 
propose  now  to  build  a  rectory,  and  to  go  on  with  it  at  once. 
Is  not  this  prompt  and  energetic  action,  and  is  it  not  noble 
in  the  vestry  to  pay  all  the  balance  of  the  debt  without  calling 
upon  the  people  ?  They  will  ask  the  congregation  to  help  in 
building  the  rectory.  I  then  went  to  the  bishop's  to  see  him 
concerning  the  consecration,  and  the  appointment  was  made 
for  the  24th  April.  I  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  Schenck 
saying  he  would  preach  the  sermon  on  the  occasion. 

''''Monday.,  April  11. — Yesterday  I  was  able  to  announce  to 
the  congregation  that  the  church  was  out  of  debt.,  and  would  be 
consecrated  on  the  24th,  Dr.  Schenck  preaching  the  sermon. 
I  had  also  the  pleasure  of  announcing  the  opening  of  a  '  Mission 
Sunday-school '  on  the  same  day,  showing  that  we  did  not 
intend  to  confine  our  labors  to  ourselves,  but  that,  now  by 
God's  blessing  we  were  out  of  debt,  we  would  go  forward 
and  extend  the  same  blessings  to  the  poor  and  neglected.  I 
preached  from  the  words,  '  Master,  it  is  good  to  be  here.  'In 
the  afternoon  at  3.30  I  went  to  the  Mission  Sunday-school 


WORK'  FOR    JESUS.  22/ 

and  spoke  a  few  words  to  the  teachers  and  children.  Over 
twenty  persons  offered  themselves  as  teachers,  and  we  had  a 
very  fair  number  of  scholars  as  a  beginning.     At  7.30  we  had 

our  evening  ser\.'ice.     I  miss   dear  G in  going  with  me 

to  each  service,  and  also  in  his  pew.  The  church  was 
densely  crowded ;  the  young  men  stood  in  galleries  and 
aisles.  I  preached  from  2  Sam.  12:7:  *  Thou  art  the 
man.'  I  trust  the  Gospel  of  the  blessed  Saviour  was  pro- 
claimed  fully  and  faithfully,  and  that  some  souls  were  won. 

"  You  may  imagine  the  gladness  of  every  one  connected 
with  Trinity  Church  at  the  entire  freedom  from  debt,  and 
now  I  am  looking  for  spiritual  blessings.  I  begin  my  con- 
firmation lectures  this  week,  and  the  confirmation  is  appointed 
for  Whit- Sunday,  the  15th  May. 

"  Many  pews  have  been  taken  by  new  families,  chiefly 
those  who  have  purchased  them.  I  shall  begin  at  once  to 
visit  all  the  new  parishioners. 

"  I  have  felt  more    lonely  without  dear  G ;  he  was 

such  an  interesting  companion.     Dear  boy,  I  hope  he  is  daily 

growing  stronger  !     How  I  miss  my  sweet  little   E and 

our  readings  about  '  Ellen  Montgomery  ' — and  our  precious 
little  housekeeper — my  memory  of  her  is  very  pleasant  ! 

"  April  13. — The  vestry  met  Monday  evening,  and 
after  attending  to  all  the  business  of  the  church  expressed  a 
unanimous  desire  for  my  institution  next  Sunday,  17th.  The 
office  has  been  used  before  in  Trinity  Church,  and  I  think  the 
effect  is  a  good  one.  It  seems  to  impress  the  people  with 
the  sacredness  and  responsibility  of  the  relation  between  pas- 
tor and  people,  and  that  is  more  needed  in  a  new  community 
than  in  any  other.  You  will  follow  me,  I  know,  in  thought 
and  prayer  next  Sunday.  Yesterday  morning  I  went  to  see  the 
bishop  about  my  institution,  and  it  is  finally  arranged  for  next 
Sunday  morning.  I  had  our  regular  Sunday-school  teachers' 
monthly  meeting  Thursday.     Such  is  in  part  the  story  of  my 


228  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


life.  You  see  it  is  a  busy  one  ;  but  I  am  always  happier  when 
constantly  occupied. 

''April  14. — Had    a  letter  from    Rev.   Mr.   S .     He 

tells  me  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  G would  be  v\^illing  to  leave 

his  present  home,  and  I  have  written  to  Baltimore  urging  his 
call  to  St.  Peter's. 

"  April  t6. — It  is  Saturday  night,  and  I  am  alone  in  the 
quiet  of  my  room,  with  my  whole  heart  going  out  towards  my 
precious  family.  This  has  been  an  eventful  week,  and  to- 
morrow is  to  be  a  memorable  day  in  my  history. 

"  The  Office  of  Institution  is  a  very  impressive  and  solemn 
one,  and  full  of  absorbing  interest  to  the  ambassador  of  Christ. 
I  have  tried  to  bring  myself  to  enter  into  it  with  the  most 
earnest  and  most  humble  spirit.  I  do  feel  a  deep  longing  to 
live  for  Christ,  and  labor  for  him,  and  to  be  set  apart  more 
entirely  to  his  service.  As  my  life  advances  I  feel  more 
profoundly  than  ever  the  utter  worthlessness  and  hollowness 
of  a  life  of  worldliness,  and  the  unspeakable  blessedness  of  a 
life  whose  fountains  are  all  in  Christ — a  life  of  separateness 
from  the  world,  of  an  earnest  following  of  Jesus,  and  of  daily 
growing  more  like  him. 

"  I  think  the  sad  discipline  of  events  around  us  for  the 
past  three  years  has  contributed  to  increase  this  feeling  in 
me.  The  prevalence  of  war  and  all  its  horrors — the  change 
in  our  country  to  one  who  has  seen  it  so  different — the  new 
aspects  of  society — the  repulsiveness  of  many  social  features 
of  our  day,  all  help  to  deepen  my  longing  for  something  bet- 
ter, higher,  purer,  holier  than  earth.  And  yet  I  think  my 
interest  in  my  work  deepens  :  it  seems  to  be  an  uplifting 
above  all  the  evil  influences  of  our  day,  just  to  be  spent  in 
such  a  service.  Oh,  that  my  heart  were  truly  washed  from 
every  defilement  of  evil  and  wholly  filled  with  the  blessed 
Spirit  ! 

"  I  have  a  vast  deal  to  do  to  retrieve  the  past — past  errors, 
past  failings,  past  neglects.     I  will  strive  to-morrow  to  give 


IVOHJC  FOR    JESUS.  229 

myself  wholly  to  God,  and  pray  for  the  cleansing  of  my  soul" 
from  every  sin,  and  a  fresh  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.      Last 
evening  I  delivered  the  first  of  my  confirmation  lectures  in 
the  church. 

"  Monday,  April  18. — And  now  to  tell  you  of  yesterday. 
The  day  dawned  beautifully,  and  the  sky  was  without  a 
cloud.  Our  hearts  were  all  glad  to  see  so  bright  a  day  for 
the  services.  The  church  was  crowded.  At  10.30  the 
bishop  with  the  clergymen  entered  the  chancel,  and  I  went 

with  Mr.   H and  Mr.  F to  the  chairs  placed  outside 

the  chancel  and  took  my  place  between  the  two.  Rev.  Mr. 
Cheney  read  the  Morning  Prayer  to  the  Creed,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Freeman  the  remaining  part.  The  bishop  read  the  Ante- 
Communion  Service,  and  then  followed  the  institution  office. 

The  bishop  made  his  address,  then  Mr.  H advanced  and 

presented  the  keys  of  the  church,  and  I  replied  as  prescribed 
on  receiving  them.  Then  I  went  wkhin  the  rails  of  the 
chancel,  and  the  bishop  presented  the  books,  as  directed  in 
the  office.  Then  he  offered  the  prayers  as  prescribed,  and  I 
followed  with  my  part.  I  preached  the  sermon,  as  requested 
by  the  bishop — although  I  invited  him  to  preach — from  the 
words  '  We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels,  that  the  ex- 
cellency of  the  power  may  be  of  God,  and  not  of  us. '  Then 
followed  the  communion,  and  after  that  the  congratulations 
of  the  vestry.  The  whole  service  was  deeply  impressive, 
and  I  hope  will  be  productive  of  much  good  to  pastor  and 
people.  In  the  afternoon  I  baptized  four  children,  and  at 
night  preached  to  young  men  on  '  David's  Repentance.' 

"  April  19. — We  had  a  meeting  of  the  gentlemen  of  the 
congregation  last  evening  to  consult  and  decide  about  the  rec- 
tory. There  were  a  number  present,  and  they  subscribed 
very  generously — the  most  of  them  giving  five  hundred  dollars 
each.  It  is  a  noble  beginning,  and  we  think  there  will  now 
be  no  difficulty  in  building  a  comfortable  home  for  us. 

"  April  25,   Monday. — Yesterday  our   church  was    con- 


230  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

•  secrated.  The  day  was  stormy,  and  we  thought  few  would 
venture  out  ;  but  the  congregation  was  large,  and  the  services 

most  interesting.     Dr.  S preached  the  sermon.     Eight 

clergymen  took  part  in  the  services.  A  collection  was  taken 
up  for  the  rectory,  and  the  offering  amounted  to  nine  thousand 
dollars.^  including  the  subscriptions  at  the  meeting  last  Mon- 
day night.     Rev.  Dr.  S preached  again  at  night.     This 

morning  I  breakfasted  with  Dr.  Bishop,  Mr.  Cheney,  and  Dr. 
S at  Mr.  E 's. 

"  The  services  yesterday  were  of  intense  interest  to  us  all. 

Dr.  S 's  sermon  will  be  published,  and  I  will  write  a  short 

history  of  the  church  to  accompany  it.  Every  one  is  inter- 
ested about  a  home  for  us.     I  never  heard  of  such  energy  and 

liberality.     Mr.  F told  me  last  night  he  would  double  his 

subscription,  making  it  one  thousand  dollars. 

"  April  26. — I  am  now  each  day  in  the  vestry-room  to 
see  persons  wishing  to  be  confirmed.  As  yet  there  are  few 
who  seem  willing  to  confess  Christ,  though  I  know  many 
whose  hearts  have  been  touched  and  who  are  seriously  im- 
pressed as  to  their  duty. 

' '  The  obstacles  to  the  progress  of  deep,  vital  religion  are 
mighty  in  this  community.  If  ever  Christians  were  called  to 
be  witnesses  for  Christ,  to  shine  as  lights  in  the  world,  hold- 
ing forth  the  Word  of  Life,  it  is  in  a  city  like  this,  where  all 
the  mightiest  forces  of  modern  civilization  are  concentrated  ; 
and  where  in  the  train  of  great  prosperity  wickedness  follows, 
as  in  every  such  community.  Christ  has  his  own  people 
here,  however,  and  while  he  gives  me  strength  I  shall  '  know 
nothing  among  men  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified.' 
The  subscriptions  to  the  rectory  have  reached  twelve  thousand 
dollars,  and  the  vestry  are  now  considering  the  question  of 
purchasing  a  delightful  house  on  Michigan  Avenue. 

''April  30. — It  is  Saturday  evening,  the  hour  when  I 
love  to  commune  with  my  loved  ones  so  far  away.  The  day 
has  been  wet  and  gloomy,  and  I  am  home-sick.     When  I  am 


WOU/r  FOR  JESUS.  231 


actively  engaged  in  my  work  I  can  keep  off  such  feelings,  but 
there  are  many  times  when  they  come  upon  me  very  heavily, 
and  my  heart  longs  for  those  linked  to  me  so  closely,  so  ten- 
derly. How  truly  we  are  made  for  sympathy  and  friendship  ! 
Our  blessed  Lord  craved  human  sympathy  in  the  hour  of  his 
agony  when  he  said  to  the  three  disciples,  '  Tarry  ye  here, 
and  watch  with  me.'  Still,  to  indulge  in  sad  feelings  in  the 
midst  of  our  abundant  mercies  would  be  sinful.  Our  lot  is 
full  of  blessings  !  Yesterday  I  delivered  my  third  lecture  on 
confirmation.  Thank  you  for  your  words  of  encouragement 
concerning  my  work." 

The  middle  of  May  Dr.  Cummins  again  visited 
his  family  at  St.  Catharine's,  Canada,  for  a  few  days. 
On  May  9th  he  writes  of  the  war  news,  which  at  that 
time  filled  all  minds  : 

"  The  advance  of  General  Grant  on  General  Lee  before 
Richmond — the  second  battle  of  the  Wilderness — General 
Butler's  march  to  City  Point  on  the  James  River,  confronted 
by  Beauregard — and  General  Siegel's  advance  in  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley,  where  he  is  met  by  another  Confederate  army. 
'The  slaughter  is  fearful.'  But  'the  Lord  reigneth, '  and 
'  the  judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  right. '     .     .      .      Rev. 

J G has  been  called  to  St.  Peter's,  Baltimore,  and  I 

am  urging  his  acceptance. 

"  May  10. — All  has  been  intense  excitement  over  the  great 
battles  of  Thursday  and  Friday  last  !  It  is  said  that  fifteen 
thousand  wounded  soldiers  are  in  Fredericksburg  as  yet  un- 
cared  for  !" 

Dr.  Cummins  and  his  family  were  very  anxious  on 
receiving  the  news  from  Virginia,  as  many  dear  friends 
and  relatives  were  exposed  to  the  dangers  that  fol- 
low in  the  wake  of  a  large  army.     He  writes — 


232  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"  May  12. — My  confirmation  class  will  be  a  small  one.  To 
add  to  the  other  causes  operating  against  our  work  is  the  pres- 
ent intense  excitement  which  absorbs  every  mind  and  drives 
all  else  out  of  the  thoughts.  But  it  is  God's  cause  and  he  will 
take  care  of  it.  Jesus  will  yet  gather  to  him  all  his  people, 
and  oh,  that  we  may  may  be  among  his  chosen  ones,  now  and 
forever  ! 

"  Sunday,  May  29. — This  afternoon  I  go  to  the  Mission 
Sunday-school.  How  precious  was  our  meeting  in  your 
room  last  Sunday  afternoon  around  the  table  of  the  Lord. 
May  we  meet  thus  in  our  Father's  kingdom  !  I  found  a  large 
school  gathered  and  a  fine  body  of  teachers.  It  was  a  very 
cheering  sight.  A  converted  Jew  was  addressing  the  school 
when  I  entered,  and  it  was  deeJDly  interesting  to  listen  to  him. 
I  followed  him  in  an  address,  and  then  the  children  sang  sev- 
eral beautiful  hymns.     They  have  a  nice  cabinet  organ." 

June  3,  1864. — To  a  very  dear  friend  Dr.  Cum- 
mins writes,  under  the  above  date  : 

"  You  have  long  since  been  able  to  lie  passive  in  his 
hands,  and  desire  to  know  no  will  but  his.  He  has  been 
with  you  very  constantly  of  late,  giving  you  great  peace,  and 
sanctifying  your  sufferings  to  your  good,  by  drawing  you 
nearer  to  him,  and  giving  you  to  realize  a  Saviour's  love  and 
presence.  How  sweet  to  know  that  all  the  way  he  has  led 
you  these  many  years  has  been  his  way,  a  path  chosen  by 
him  to  accomplish  his  blessed  purposes  of  love  towards  you 
— even  your  sanctification.  You  know  and  feel  his  discipline 
has  not  been  in  vain — you  are  nearer  to  God,  more  submis- 
sive to  his  will,  more  filled  with  his  spirit — and  what  is 
equal  to  this  ?  In  a  few  fleeting  years  what  difference  will  it 
make  to  any  one  of  us  whether  our  days  on  earth  were  passed 
in  sickness  or  in  health  ?  One  thought  alone  will  then  be  up- 
permost— did  our  lot  in  life,  our  life-discipline,  work  for  us 


WORK  FOR   JESUS.  233 

everlasting   life — a  home  and  a  place  among  the  sanctified 
and  '  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  '? 

"  For  myself  I  find  during  the  last  few  years  my  interest 
in  earthly  things,  apart  from  Christ's  cause,  is  exceedingly 
diminished.  I  long  only  to  do  my  work  for  Jesus,  and  to  be- 
come daily  more  weaned  from  earth. 

''June  10. — On  Wednesday  evening  I  went  to  the  hall 
where  our  Mission  School  is  held,  to  another  exhibition  of 
our  fine  magic  lantern.  We  had  a  large  attendance,  and  a 
most  unruly  set  of  boys.  The  temptation  to  fun  and  noise 
was  great  when  the  lights  were  lowered  ;  we  could  scarcely 
keep  them  in  order.  It  reminded  me  of  Eleanor  Powle's 
Ragged  School  in  London,  and  the  somersaults  of  the  boys  to 
relieve  their  nervousness, 

"  I  rode  to  the  rectory  lot  this  morning.  It  was  a  dis- 
agreeable day  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  dusty  and  warm,  but 
when  I  reached  the  lot  the  view  was  beautiful.  The  lake 
was  agitated  by  the  wind,  and  the  water  was  a  lovely  shade 
of  green.  It  is  delightful  to  think  we  shall  so  soon  be  in  our 
own  home,  if  it  be  God's  will.  It  is  pleasant  to  watch  the 
workmen  laying  every  stone.  The  house  is  to  be  of  the 
pretty  cream-colored  brick  so  popular  here,  with  stone  trim- 
mings, and  is  to  have  every  modern  improvement.  The  lawn 
has  beautiful  evergreen  trees  in  it,  and  looks  so  nicely,  I  am 
hurrying  the  workmen  as  much  as  possible,  as  I  know  how 
you  long  to  be  settled  in  our  own  home. 

' '  I  am  now  very  busy  visiting  the  congregation,  as  I  wish 
to  see  every  one  before  I  leave  for  my  summer  vacation.  Be- 
sides this,  I  have  to  see  to  all  the  i:)arochial  work,  which,  with 
the  preparation  of  sermons,  lectures,  and  other  services,  oc- 
cupies every  moment  of  my  time.  I  have  now  no  assistant, 
but  have  written  to  Rev.  Mr.  G ,  hoping  to  secure  him. 

"June  16. — How  constant  and  complete  ought  to  be 
our  preparation  to  meet  our  God  !  How  near  we  are  to  the 
eternal  world,  and  how  ceaseless  ought  our  care  to  be  to  keep 


234  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

our  lights  trimmed  and  burning,  waiting  for  the  coming  of 
our  Lord  !  Oh  !  unspeakable  blessing  to  be  ready  to  go  in 
with  him  when  he  calls  us  !  Thus  let  us  strive  to  live,  with 
our  hearts  ever  fixed  on  Jesus  !  And  thus,  whoever  of  our 
little  circle  goes  first — for  we  must  go  alo7ie — it  matters  but 
little,  for  we  will  meet  in  heaven  and  spend  an  eternity  to- 
gether. 

"  June  20. — Had  services  yesterday — Sunday — at  10.30, 
baptism  in  the  afternoon,  and  service  again  at  night.  Among 
the  congregation  was  the  Bishop  of  Prince  Rupert's  Land, 
who  is  on  his  way  to  England.  He  came  into  the  vestry- 
room  before  the  services,  but  declined  to  preach  for  me. 
He  came  back  after  the  services  to  express  his  pleasure  in 
them.  His  jurisdiction  is  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  ter- 
ritory, and  adjoins  our  country  above  Minnesota,  and  the 
best  way  to  reach  his  diocese  is  through  Minnesota." 

On  the  evening  of  July  4th,  1864,  Dr.  Cummins 
left  Chicago  for  St.  Catharine's,  to  join  his  family  and 
pass  his  vacation  with  them.  His  church  had  been 
left  in  charge  of  an  assistant,  and  it  was  with  a  very 
joyful  spirit  he  turned  his  face  once  more  towards  his 
Canadian  home.  Since  he  left  them,  the  latter  part 
of  May,  they  had  all  been  ill ;  but  the  news  was  kept 
from  him  until  the  great  danger  was  overpast,  as  it 
would  have  seriously  interfered  with  his  plans  to  have 
left  his  people  before  July.  God  mercifully  spared 
each  member  of  his  little  home  circle  ;  and  on  reach- 
ing St.  Catharine's,  July  5th,  he  found  them  convales- 
cent. The  month  of  July  was  passed  in  their  tempo- 
rary home,  and  in  the  early  part  of  August  they  left 
St.  Catharine's  for  Niagara  Falls,  where  they  re- 
mained several  weeks.  The  first  of  September  they 
were  accommodated,  through  the  great  kindness  of 


WORK  FOR   JESUS.  235 


Mr.  H.  E.  Sargent,  then  the  General  Superintendent 
of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  with  a  luxurious 
private  car,  in  which  they  journeyed  pleasantly,  and 
with  but  little  fatigue  to  their  invalid,  to  Hyde  Park, 
then  five  miles  from  Chicago.  Here  the  party  re- 
mained a  week,  at  the  very  comfortable  hotel  immedi- 
ately on  the  Lake  Shore.  From  Hyde  Park  they 
went  to  delightful  quarters  in  the  city,  generously  pre- 
pared for  them  by  one  of  the  vestry,  where  they  were 
most  lovingly  cared  for  until  late  in  October,  when 
they  again  removed  to  lodgings.  During  this  time  of 
waiting  their  beautiful  home  on  Calumet  Avenue  was 
being  rapidly  built.  The  health  of  Mrs.  Cummins 
grew  rapidl}^  worse  as  the  autumn  of  1864  advanced, 
and  her  physician  advised  country  air.  Dr.  Cummins 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  be  able  to  rent  a  furnished 
house  at  Evanston,  about  twelve  miles  from  Chicago, 
and  to  this  delightful  home  he  removed  his  family. 

Finding  that  his  wife  improved  very  soon  after 
their  removal  to  Evanston,  it  was  decided  by  the  no- 
ble and  generous  men  who  composed  the  vestry  to 
sell  the  rectory  on  Calumet  Avenue — which  was  near- 
ly completed — and  purchase  for  their  rector  a  home 
in  Evanston,  which  was  then  for  sale.  A  tasteful  car- 
riage and  valuable  horse  had  been  another  proof  of 
the  untiring  kindness  and  whole-souled  liberality  of 
this  dear  people  towards  their  beloved  rector.  With 
these  aids  Dr.  Cummins  found  he  could  easily  attend 
to  his  work  in  Chicago,  driving  in  every  day,  and  re- 
turning in  the  evening.  On  the  Sundays  he  re- 
mained chiefly  with  his  friends  in  town.  This  home, 
beautiful  in  itself,  was  rendered  still  more  so  by  the 
dear  people  of  Trinity  Church. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

WORK   IN    1865-6. 

A  glorious  harvest  of  sinners  won 

A  harvest  worth  securing — 
Rest  for  the  toilers — their  life-work  done — 
Crowns  for  the  victors,  and  near  the  throne, 

Peace,  joy,  and  life  enduring. 

M.  B,  SmithC 

Aged  43. 

IN  March,  1865,  Dr.  Cummins  was  again  tendered 
the  rectorship  of  Grace  Church,  San  Francis- 
co, Cal,  with  a  very  large  salary.  This  call,  after 
earnest  and  prayerful  consideration,  he  felt  it  to  be 
his  duty  to  decline.  Though  he  was  fully  sensible  of 
the  field  there  presented  to  him  for  almost  unlimited 
influence,  and  the  great  need  for  earnest  men  in  that 
new  and  important  city,  yet  he  could  not  think  it  wise 
or  right  to  leave  his  beloved  flock  in  Chicago,  when 
God's  blessing  had  so  markedly  rested  on  his  labors 
in  that  no  less  important  field.  He  therefore  grate- 
fully and  affectionately  declined  this  second  call. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year,  while  their  new  home 
was  being  prepared  for  them.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cummins 
visited  some  dear  friends  in  Toronto,  Canada,  and 
Dr.  Cummins  preached  in  St.  Paul's  Church  in  that 
city,  at  the  request  of  his  friend  Rev.  H.  R . 


jvoj^nr  IN  1865-6.  237 

A  happy  summer  was  passed  at  Evanston  in  their 
country  home,  an  unbroken  circle. 

In  September  the  Annual  Diocesan  Convention 
met  in  Chicago,  and  Bishop  Whitehouse  appointed 
Dr.  Cummins  the  preacher  for  the  occasion.  The 
convention  sermon  was  on  "  The  Claims  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  upon  the  American  Peo- 
ple," and  at  the  request  of  the  members  of  the  Con- 
vention, both  clerical  and  lay,  it  was  printed  in  pam- 
phlet form  for  circulation. 

Dr.  Cummins' s  position  in  this  sermon  was  a 
thoroughly  honest  one.  He  fully  believed  what  he 
there  stated  was  the  truth.  Several  years  after  he 
came  to  think  differently,  and  then  as  frankly  admitted 
the  change  in  his  opinions  and  stated  the  cause. 

During  the  session  of  the  Convention  he  had  the 
pleasure  of  entertaining  the  clergy  and  laity,  with  the 
bishop,  in  his  own  home.  It  was  a  happy  occasion, 
and  all  who  were  present  cannot  soon  forget  it. 

The  first  of  October,  1865.  Dr.  Cummins  left  Chi- 
cago, accompanied  by  his  family,  for  Philadelphia,  to 
attend  the  General  Convention  as  delegate  from  the 
Diocese  of  Illinois.  Mrs.  Cummins  and  the  children 
visited  her  father  in  Virginia  and  friends  in  Baltimore 
while  her  husband  was  in  Philadelphia.  We  have  be- 
fore us  most  interesting  letters  written  at  this  time, 
giving  a  full  account  of  the  debates,  in  which  Dr. 
Cummins  took  an  active  part.  We  give  extracts  from 
these  letters. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  General  Con^ 
vention  he  placed  his  son  at  school  in  Burlington, 
Vermont.  This  was  a  most  pleasant  trip,  as  he  was 
accompanied  by  several  friends  and  their  sons,  and 


238  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

travelled  in  a  private  car  from  Baltimore,  furnished 
with  every  comfort,  entirely  at  the  cost  of  one  of  the 
chief  officers  of  the  New  York  Air  Line,  who  was  a 
very  dear  personal  friend. 

During  his  stay  in  Philadelphia  he  was  the  guest 
of  a  most  earnest  and  devoted  Christian  gentleman. 
His  fellow-guests  were  Bishop  Eastburn  and  Rev. 
Dr.  Nicholson,  now  Bishop  Nicholson,  of  Philadel- 
phia.    He  writes  : 

"  Philadelphia,  Oct.  3,  1865. 

"  Went  out  to  call  on  Bishop  Hopkins,  who  received  me 
very  warmly — he  asked  very  kindly  after  you — then  to  call  on 

Bishop  Whitehouse,  and   last  to  Miss  F 's  to  see  Dr.  and 

Mrs.   Clarkson  ;     there  I  met  Bishop  T .      To-day  the 

Convention  opened  ;  the  Bishop  Of  Montreal  preached  the 
sermon.  Dr.  C was  elected  President  of  the  Conven- 
tion, and  has  put  me  on  several  important  committees,  so  I 
shall  be  busy.  Thursday  night  Bishop  Coxe  preached  an 
interesting  sermon  before  the  Board  of  Missions  in  St.  Luke' 
Church. 

"  Friday  morning,  during  the  session  of  the  Convention,  I 
offered  my  resolution  welcoming  back  the  Southerners.  The 
night  before  Bishop  Lay  had  taken  his  seat  in  the  House  of 
Bishops,  and  on  hearing  this  the  Board  sang  the  Gloria  in 
Excelsis.  My  resolution  passed,  and  a  large  majority  of  the 
delegates  are  full  of  joy  and  thanksgiving  over  it." 

One  who  was  present  in  the  Convention  when  Dr. 
Cummins  offered  his  resolution  thus  describes  the 
scene  : 

"  The  finest  display  of  eloquence  was  on  Thursday  last. 
The  church  was  densely  crowded.  A  pause,  a  momentary 
rustle,  and  then  all  is  calm.     Dr.  Cummins,  of  Chicago,  rises 


WORK  IN  1865-6.  239 


and  addresses  the  chair.  He  has  spoken  once  or  twice  be- 
fore, and  there  is  an  anxiety  to  hear  him  at  length.  The 
house  is  hushed  as  his  melodious  voice  reaches  ears  painfully 
intent  on  catching  every  word  that  he  may  utter.  His  speech, 
voice,  look,  and  manner  show  that  he  feels  intensely  the  im- 
portance of  the  subject  on  which  he  is  to  speak.  His  natu- 
rally open,  cheerful  countenance  displays  a  terrible  earnest- 
ness. He  rests  with  both  hands  on  the  back  of  the  pew  in 
front  of  where  he  is  standing,  and  his  figure  bends,  as  he 
pours  golden  words  of  burning  eloquence  in  the  ears  of  the 
listening  President  and  members  of  the  Convention.  He 
looks  appealingly  at  the  chair,  and  upon  his  brethren  of  the 
clergy  and  laity.  He  is  logical  and  at  times  analytical,  but 
it  was  when  picturing  the  glory  of  the  Church  in  the  good 
and  happier  days  that  we  thought  him  majestic.  He  tells 
his  listening  audience  that  it  was  the  glory  of  the  Church  that 
she  was  the  last  body  to  break  the  ecclesiastical  bonds  of 
the  Union,  and  let  her  be  the  first  to  restore  these  bonds. 
Let  her  gather  them  up,  and  weave  them  into  a  chain  of  love 
never  again  to  be  broken.  '  How  beautifully  grand  and  sub- 
lime,' whispers  a  reporter  as  he  ciphers  each  word  on  paper  ! 
You  realize  you  are  listening  to  one  of  America's  foremost 
orators.  But  in  a  moment  he  changes  the  scene,  and  intro- 
duces you  to  one  whom  he  justly  claims  as  the  friend  of  his 
youth.  You  now  learn  that  there  beats  a  generous  heart 
within  the  bosom  of  the  captivating  orator.  He  tells  of  the 
love  he  bears  the  memory  of  the  saintly  Bishop  Meade,  once 
Virginia's  most  distinguished  prelate,  and  with  filial  tender- 
ness places  him  right  upon  the  record  of  the  rebellion.  It 
was  nobly  said,  and  many  hearts  swelled  with  gratitude  to  the 
speaker  for  his  appropriate  eulogy  of  one  who  had  been  a 
father  to  many  of  them.  Dr.  Cummins  takes  his  seat,  and 
all  feel  that  the  case  is  at  an  end,  and  so  it  was. ' ' 


Dr.  Cummins  writes  : 


240  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  The  North  Carolina  delegation  told  me  that  it  would 
have  a  great  effect  upon  the  South.  Friday  I  dined  with 
your  brother,  the  Bishop  of  Montreal,  Bishops  Hopkins,  Mc- 
Ilvaine,  Potter,  Eastburn,  Clark,  and  Talbot,  Judge  Cham- 
bers, Dr.  McVicar,  your  sister,  and  L .     Speeches  were 

made  by  Bishops  Mcllvaine  and  Hopkins,  telling  us  of  their 
early  visits  to  England  and  interviews  with  Wilberforce  and 
Hannah  More.  At  7.30  p.m.  an  interesting  missionary  meet- 
ing was  held  in  St.  Luke's,  and  addresses  were  made  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Hening,  the  blind  missionary  from  Africa,  and  others. 
Sunday  morning  I  preached  in  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany 
for  Dr.  Newton,  and  in  the  evening  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Atkins 
in  Germantown.  On  Monday  drove  with  Dr.  Nicholson  to 
the  new  Divinity  School.  At  night  there  was  a  meeting  at 
St.  Mark's  of  the  Society  for  the  Increase  of  the  Ministry. 
The  feeling  in  the  Convention  towards  the  South  is  wonder- 
ful, and  our  hearts  are  filled  with  devout  gratitude  to  God 
over  it. 

"  October  11,  1865. — Attended  the  business  meeting  yes- 
terday of  the  E.  K.  S.,  and  at  night  the  '  Anniversary  '  was 
held  in  Holy  Trinity. 

"  Dr.  Quintard  was  consecrated  this  morning  Bishop  of 

Tennessee.     Bishop  S preached  the  sermon.     It  was  a 

noble  testimony  to  evangelical  truth.  I  read  the  testimonials 
of  the  Bishop-elect  from  the  Diocese  of  Tennessee. 

"  October  13. — Dined  at  cousin  D 's  and  met  Mr.  G 

and  A.  C .     In  the  evening  attended  the  anniversary  of  the 

Church  Missionary  Society  at  Holy  Trinity  Church.     Bishop 

V ,  Rev.  Mr.  W ,  of  Nevada,  and  Dr.  N spoke. 

Dr.  N 's  speech  was  a  grand  one.     Yesterday  went  at 

10  o'clock  to  the  Convention,  and  at  12  spoke  on  the  case  of 
Bishop  Wilmer  for  half  an  hour.  It  was  a  speech  just  warm 
from  the  heart,  and  I  hope  did  good.  It  was  received  in 
profound  silence,  and  some  were  in  tears.  I  have  received 
thanks   from   the   oldest    and    most   eminent    men    of    the 


WORK  IN  1865-6.  241 

Convention,  among  them  Dr.  M ,  of  Connecticut ;  Rev. 

Dr.    W ,    of  Massachusetts  ;  W.   H ,  ex-governor  of 

New  York  ;  Bishop  C ,  and  very  many  others.     The  vote 

on  Bishop  W was  unanimous.  The  whole  result  is  glori- 
ous, and  seems  to  indicate  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
answer  to  prayer. ' ' 

Sunday,  October    15th,  Dr.    Cummins  passed    in 
Reading,  Penn.,  where  he  preached  twice. 
Tuesday,  17th,  he  writes  : 

"  We  had  the  Thanksgiving  service  for  peace  to  the 
country  and  unity  to  the  Church.  It  was  held  in  St.  Luke's. 
Twenty-seven  bishops  were  in  the  chancel,  and  the  church 
was  full.  There  was  no  sermon.  The  Convention  met  after 
the  service. 

"  October  18. — Dined  at  Dr.  H 's   with    Bishop   and 

Mrs.  S ,  of   K ;    Dr.   C ,  of  Boston  ;    Rev.    Mr. 

D and  Mr.  W ,  of  Baltimore.     At  five  o'clock  w^en.t 

to  the  Board  of  Missions. 

"  This  morning  (19th)  I  breakfasted  with  the  alumni  of  the 
Alexandria  Seminary. 

"  October  23. — Preached   yesterday  for  Dr.  H at  St. 

Luke's.     On  Saturday  Missionary  Bishops  were  nominated 

for  Nebraska,  Nevada,  and  Colorado.     Dr.  C is  greatly 

troubled  to  know  what  he  ought  to  do.  I  shall  be  truly  sorry 
to  lose  him,  but  I  am  so  thankful  /  was  not  called  upon  to 
decide  the  question  for  myself  ! 

"  October  24. — The  Convention  adjourns  to-night,  when 
the  closing  services  will  take  place.  It  has  been  a  most  mem- 
orable General  Convention,  and  will  be  mighty  in  its  effects 
on  Church  and  country.  The  official  reporter  of  the  U.  S. 
Senate  came  on  with  his  corps  of  phonographic  reporters,  and 
has  taken  down  every  word,  and  will  publish  it  in  a  volume  of 
six  hundred  pages.       The  election  of  Dr.  H and   Dr. 


242  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

R was   confirmed   last   night,   and  the   Rev.   Channing 

Moore  Williams  elected  Missionary  Bishop  to  Japan.  He  is 
from  Richmond,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  L ,  and  a  noble  man. 

"  I  have  had  such  sweet  communion  with  Dr.  N ,  it 

has  done  my  soul  great  good  to  learn  from  him,  and  to  partake 
of  his  spirit. 

"  October  25. — I  go  to  Smyrna,  and  on  Friday  start  for 
Baltimore.  I  shall  preach  on  Sunday  (29th),  in  St.  Peter's  and 
Emmanuel  churches." 

After  his  visit  to  his  friends  in  Baltimore,  Dr. 
Cummins,  with  his  wife  and  daughters,  spent  some 
time  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Chicago. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

ELECTION   TO   THE   EPISCOPATE. 

Man  may  make  bishops,  Christ  alone 
Makes  those  whom  he  vouchsafes  to  own. 

Like  Paul  then  preach,  nor  aught  beside 
Christ  Jesus,  and  him  crucified. 

So  wear  your  lawn — no  robe  of  state — 
A  prophet's  robe — in  that  be  great. 

Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg. 
Aged  44, 

IN  the  spring  of  1866,  at  the  urgent  advice  of  his 
physician,  and  with  the  generous  consent  of 
his  vestry,  Dr.  Cummins  took  passage,  for  himself 
and  family,  on  board  the  Africa,  of  the  Cunard  line, 
for  Europe. 

The  journey  was  undertaken  with  the  hope  that  the 
sea  voyage  and  residence  abroad  would  permanently 
benefit  Mrs.  Cummins's  health,  while  the  recreation 
was  needed  by  Dr.  Cummins.  It  was  also  felt  that 
the  advantages  to  their  children  would  be  very 
great.  Their  plan  was  to  be  in  Europe  for  a  year, 
Dr.  Cummins  returning  to  his  parish  for  several 
months  in  the  winter.  They  sailed  from  Boston  on 
the  loth  of  May,  and  after  a  pleasant  voyage  reached 
Liverpool  on  the  20th.  A  day  was  spent  in  Chester, 
and  from  that  quaint  old  city  they  went  on  to  Leam- 
ington, where  they  passed  some  weeks.  From  Leam- 
ington the  little  party  went  to  London,  and  thence 
to  Paris,   where  two  months  and  a  half  were  most 


244  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

agreeably  passed,   Mrs.    Cummins   being  under  the 

care    of    physicians.       They    had    scarcely    reached 

Paris,  and  settled  comfortably  in  lodgings,  when  news 

reached  Dr.   Cummins    which    entirel)^  changed  all 

their    plans.       We  will    tell   the   story    in    his    own 

words  : 

"  Paris,  Saturday,  June  i6,  1866. 

"  This  day  I  read  in  a  New  York  journal,  of  June  2d, 
at  the  office  of  John  Munroe  &  Co.,  No.  7  Rue  Scribe,  a 
telegram  announcing  my  election,  by  an  almost  unanimous 
vote  of  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky,  to  the 
office  of  Assistant  Bishop  of  the  Diocese. 

"  June  24,  1866. — To-day  I  read  in  the  Church  Journal 
of  New  York  an  editorial  announcing  the  same  fact. 

"  Paris,  June  26. — I  received  to-day  the  official  an- 
nouncement of  my  election  in  the  following  letter  from  the 
Standing  Committee  of  Kentucky  : 

"  '  Louisville,  June  i,  1866. 
"  '  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  :  The  undersigned,  the  Standing 
Committee  of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky,  have  just  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese  a  Committee  to 
make  known  to  you  that  you  have  been  elected  this  day,  with 
the  most  gratifying  and  extraordinary  unanimity,  the  Assistant 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky.  We  perform  this  duty 
with  great  pleasure,  and  venture  to  urge  your  acceptance  of 
this  high  office,  and  to  assure  you  that  in  the  event  of  your 
acceptance  you  will  be  cordially  welcomed  by  a  warm-hearted 
people. 

*'  *  Very  respectfully,  your  friends  and  obedient  servants, 

James  Craik. 

Francis  M.  WmxTLE. 

J.  J.  Talbot. 

W.  F,  Bullock. 

Wm.  Cornwall.'  " 


ELECTION   TO    THE    EPISCOPATE.  245 


We  have  before  us  several  very  full  accounts  of 
the  action  of  the  Convention,  from  the  daily  papers. 
We  give  only  a  brief  synopsis.  The  Convention  met 
May  30th  in  St.  John's  Church,  Louisville.  In  Bishop 
Smith's  address  he  asked  for  an  assistant,  as  he  no 
longer  felt  able  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  so  large  a  dio- 
cese at  his  advanced  age.  Resolutions  were  passed, 
and  the  Convention  proceeded  to  elect  an  assistant. 
Several  clerg)nnen  were  nominated,  and  three  ballots 
were  taken,  resulting  in  the  rejection  of  the  candidate 
by  the  laity.  No  little  feeling  arose  among  the  cleri- 
cal delegates  when  their  candidate  was  rejected,  and 
one  of  the  clergy.  Rev.  Carter  Page,  made  a  speech 
expressing  his  surprise  at  the  action  of  the  laity. 
Rev.  Dr.  Craik  urged  the  claims  of  Bishop  Lay,  and 
withdrew  his  own  name  in  the  bishop's  favor.  To 
avert  all  such  feelings  and  to  promote  the  harmony 
of  the  diocese,  a  proposition  was  then  made  by  the 
laity  in  the  Convention  for  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee of  conference  on  the  subject.  This  proposal 
was  accepted  by  the  clergy,  and  a  committee  of  six 
gentlemen  of  each  order  was  appointed,  to  whom  the 
whole  subject  was  referred.  Friday  afternoon,  June 
1st,  the  Committee  of  Conference,  through  Judge 
Bullock,  made  the  following  report : 

"  The  Committee  of  Conference  appointed  by  the  Conven- 
tion of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky  to  decide  upon  a  suitable 
person  for  the  ofifice  of  Assistant  Bishop,  beg  leave  to  report 
the  following  unanimous  action  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  of 
Chicago,  Illinois,  be  recommended  to  the  Convention  of  the 
Diocese  of  Kentucky  as  Assistant  Bishop  of  said  diocese,  in 


246  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 


which  they  respectfully  but  earnestly  solicit  the  concurrence 
of  the  Convention." 

Judge  Bullock  said:  "  I  am  further  instructed  to  state 
that  we  have  reached  this  result  after  the  most  careful  con- 
sideration ;  and  in  doing  so  we  had  in  view  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  good  of  the  Church  ;  that  we  were  all  willing  to  sur- 
render for  ourselves,  and  the  party  we  represent,  all  personal 
feeling  and  private  ideas.  It  is  our  prayer  that  the  unanimity 
which  we  have  met  in  answer  to  secret  prayer  will  also  govern 
this  meeting  ;  that  in  selecting  this  man,  we  knew  that  from 
his  piety  and  his  talents  that  Kentucky  would  adopt  him  ;  and 
it  is  for  that  piety  and  other  good  qualities  we  have  done  so, 
and  we  have  no  other  earthly  motive  in  view. ' ' 

The  Rev.  F.  M.  Whittle  then  nominated  the  Rev. 
George  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
Chicago,  as  Assistant  Bishop  of  this  diocese,  and  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Craik  seconded  the  nomination. 

A  ballot  was  taken  with  the  following  result  :  For 
Dr.  Cummins,  21  votes.  Dr.  Craik,  i  ;  Mr.  Whittle,  i. 
The  laity  proceeded  to  ballot,  with  the  following  re- 
sult :  For  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins,  23  votes;  nays,  i. 
The  chairman  then  declared  the  Rev.  George  D. 
Cummins,  D.D.,  elected  to  the  office  of  Assistant 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky.  Mr.  Cornwall 
moved,  that  in  view  of  the  great  unanimity  in  the 
choice  of  an  Assistant  Bishop,  the  Convention  unite  in 
singing  the  Gloria  in  Excclsis,  and  the  whole  assembly 
present  united  in  this  grand  song  of  praise  to  God. 

In  the  journal  kept  at  the  time  by  Dr.  Cummins 
we  find  the  following  entry  : 

"  Paris,  July,  1866. 
"  Letters  have  reached  me  from  a  number  of  bishops,  ex- 


ELECTION   TO    THE    EPISCOPATE.  247 

pressing  their  pleasure  at  my  election  and  earnestly  urging  my 
acceptance  of  the  office. 

These  letters  are  now  given,  though  in  several 
cases  extracts  only  are  made,  as  the  entire  letters  are 
too  long  for  publication.  The  first  in  our  possession 
received  by  Dr.  Cummins  is  dated 

"Claremont,  N.  H.,  June  4,  1866, 
"  Rev.  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  beg  your  permission  to 
express  to  you  the  satisfaction  with  which  I  learn  that  you 
have  been  elected  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky.  That  the 
Spirit  of  the  Chief  Shepherd  is  the  mover  of  this  solemn  pro- 
ceeding I  cannot  doubt.  I  pray  you,  then,  listen  to  the  call 
as  one  in  which  the  Lord  is  telling  you  what  to  do.  I  have 
confidence  in  you  that  your  work  will  be  done  to  his  gracious 
and  full  acceptance. 

"  Your  affectionate  brother  in  Christ  and  the  church, 

"  Carlton  Chase. 
"  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

The  next  document  in  order  of  date  is  a  Prayer 
of  Thanksgiving,  prepared  by  Bishop  Smith,  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  used  in  the  Convention  and  in  the 
churches  in  Louisville. 

prayer, 

"  O  Almighty  Father,  the  giver  of  every  good  and  per- 
fect gift,  we  render  unto  thee  our  hearty  thanks  that  it  hath 
pleased  thee,  as  we  trust,  to  hear  our  prayers  in  guiding  us 
aright  in  the  choice  of  our  Assistant  Bishop  elect  ;  and  most 
humbly  we  beseech  thee  to  preserve  him  and  his  family 
whilst  abroad,  and  when  upon  the  mighty  deep  ;  and  to  bring 
him  to  us  in  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  peace. 


248  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

"  All  which  we  ask  for  his  sake  who  is  the  Shepherd  and 
Bishop  of  our  souls,  thy  Son,  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
Amen." 

The  letter  next  in  order  is  from  the  then  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Ohio,  and  is  as  follows  : 

"  Gambier,  June  5,  1866. 
"  Rev.  and  Dear  Brother  :  The  papers  state  that  you 
have  been  elected  to  the  Assistantship  of  Kentucky.  Thank 
God  !  Nothing  better  could  have  come  to  them  !  No  holier 
work  could  have  come  to  you  !  No  more  blessed  call  from 
God  could  have  reached  your  ear.  The  call  is  from  God. 
You  cannot  say  '  No.'  I  beg  you  to  say  '  Yes.'  The  field  is 
a  grand  one.  I  have  just  visited  two  of  your  parishes.  My 
earnest  congratulations  to  you. 

"  Affectionately,  G.  T.  Bedell. 

"  Rev.  Geo.   D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

A  very  kind  note  from  the  Rev.  W.  O.  Lamson 
was  received  at  this  time,  thanking  Dr.  Cummins 
for  taking  charge  of  the  American  Chapel  in  Paris 
while  the  rector  had  a  rest  and  vacation.  It  is 
dated 

"  61  Rue  de  la  Pepini^re,  Paris,  June  2. 

"  My  Dear  Dr.  Cummins  :  We  are   at  home  for  a  few 

hours  en  route  for  Switzerland  ;    in  obedience  to  the  urgent 

kindness  of  our  flock,  who  feel  such  pleasure  and  confidence 

in  your   services   as  to  know  the  interests  of  the  Church  are 

in    good  hands,   I  repeat    my  thanks  for  your  services  and 

congratulate  you  upon  your  election  to  the  Episcopate,  which 

I   have   heard   with   pleasure.     I  trust   you   will  justify  the 

wisdom  of  the  choice  by  accepting. 

' '  I  am,  very  faithfully  yours, 

"  W.  O.  Lamson. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 


ELECTION    TO    THE    EPISCOPATE.  249 


From  a  presbyter  of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky  a 

cordial  letter  was  received,  from  which  we  make  a 

few  extracts  : 

"  Louisville,  June  6,  1866. 

"  My  Dear  Dr.   Cummins  :    Upon    the    announcement 
of  your  election  the  Gloria  in   Excelsis  was  sung.     On  last 
Sunday  thanks  were  given   in  our  churches  for  your  election, 
and  prayers  offered  for  your  preservation  and  safe  return. 
There    are   three  parties  in   the    church   here — the  Virginia 
churchmen,  the   evangelical  high  churchmen,  and  the  sacra- 
mentarian  high  churchmen.     All,  however,  united  up07i  you. 
I  am  confident  that  by  the  blessing  of  God  you  can  harmonize 
these  conflicting  interests.     Moreover,  your  ecclesiastical  sen- 
timents are  admirably  adapted  to  this  diocese.      Kentucky  is 
the  daughter   of  Virginia   both  in  ecclesiastical   polity  and 
theology  and  in  political  sentiment.     A  conservative,  evan- 
gelical churchman  (as  I  know  you  to  be)  can  at  this  time,  as 
a  bishop,  wield  a  mighty  influence  for  good  by  the  blessing  of 
God.     I  sincerely  trust  that  your  convictions  of  duty  may 
prompt  you  to  accept  this  high  and  holy  office  thus  thrust 
upon  you  by  the  providence  of  God.     You  can  be  more  use- 
ful than  as  pastor  of  a  parish,  however  important,  and  an  en- 
gagement however  sacred  with  any  particular  church  should 
— it  seems  to  me — give  place  where  the  interests  of  an  entire 
diocese  and  of  the  whole  Church  are  so  intimately  concerned. 
Having  felt  an  intense  interest  in  this  matter,   and  having 
watched  events  with  prayerful  attention,  I  am  convinced  that 
your   election   was   ordained   by  the   special    providence   of 
God.     Oh  !  that  God  may  assist  you  to  decide  this  important 
matter  aright  !    I  believe  you  have  been  given  us  by  the  prov- 
idence  of   God  for  this  position,   and  I.  am  confident  that 
under  such  an  administration  as  we  may  expect  of  you,  most 
glorious  results  will  be  realized.     We  are  all  more  anxious 
than  I  can  express  to  hear  your  decision. 

"  Truly  and  faithfully  yours,  G.  D.  E.  M. 

"  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 


250  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

We  give  in  full  the  letter  from  Rt.  Rev.  B.  B. 
Smith,  D.D.,  senior  Bishop  of  Kentucky,  and  Presid- 
ing Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States  : 

"  Catlettsburg,  Ky.,  June  8,  1866. 
"  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D.  : 

"  My  VERY  Dear  Brother  in  Christ  :  Before  this 
reaches  you  you  will  doubtless  have  heard  through  some  other 
medium  of  your  almost  unanimous  election,  on  Friday  last, 
June  I  St,  to  be  ray  assistant. 

'  *  Had  you  been  at  home  I  should  immediately  have  let 
you  know,  by  telegram,  how  entirely  agreeable  to  me  the  se- 
lection is — in  which  I  would  have  no  hand — and  how  cordially 
I  shall  welcome  you  to  my  side  in  the  near  and  sacred  relation 
which  Timothy  sustained  to  St.  Paul.  Oh  !  that  we  could 
only  hope  that  like  grace  may  be  upon  us  both,  and  a  like 
measure  of  success  attend  our  joint  labors  !  I  inclose  this 
to  Mr.  Sargent,  of  Chicago  ;  but  in  the  course  of  a  week 
expect  to  receive  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  your  address 
direct,  when  I  shall  write  you  a  long  letter,  giving  you  a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  circumstances  of  the  election  from  my 
standpoint,  and  also  my  views  of  the  position  and  prospects 
of  the  Church  in  the  diocese,  urging  the  reasons  which  to  my 
mind  seem  conclusive  that  it  will  be  your  duty  to  accept. 

"  But  so  blind  are  we,  and  ignorant,  that  that  is  left  to 
the  decision  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  by  none  more 
confidently  and  cheerfully  than  by  your  brother,  shall  I  say  ? 
or  your  father  in  the  Gospel, 

"  B.  B.  Smith." 

Bishop  Clarkson,  of  Nebraska,  who,  since  the  ac- 
ceptance of  the  rectorship  by  Dr.  Cummins  of  Trin- 
ity Church,  Chicago,  had,  with  his  wife,  been  among 
his  most  dear  friends,  thus  wrote  : 


ELECTION    TO    THE    EPISCOPATE.  25 1 

"  Nebraska  City,  June  11,  1866. 

"  My  Dear  Dr.  Cummins  :  I  do  not  think  I  ever  heard 
of  the  election  of  a  bishop  with  more  gratification  and  joy 
than  that  which  filled  my  heart  to  overflowing  when  the  news 
came  to  me  of  Kentucky's  wise  choice,  unless,  indeed,  it  was 
once  before,  when  my  now  sainted  uncle,  Samuel  Bowman, 
was  chosen  by  Pennsylvania. 

".  .  .  Now  I  hope,  dear  Doctor,  that  you  will  see  it  to  be 
your  duty  to  accept.  I  know  that  you  possess  great  and 
peculiar  qualifications  for  the  high  and  awful  office,  especially 
in  the  field  to  which  you  have  been  called,  and  I  do  not  see 
how  you  can  decline. 

' '  I  want  you  to  be  sure  and  let  me  know  when  and  where 
the  consecration  will  take  place,  so  that  I  may  make  my  ar- 
rangements to  attend. 

".  .  .  I  shall  be  very  anxious  until  I  hear  of  your  de- 
cision. I  wish  that  Kentucky  were  a  little  nearer  to  Ne- 
braska, so  that  we  might  be  more  together  in  the  future  ; 
but  I  am  sure  that  if  God  spares  our  lives  we  shall  have  abun- 
dant call  for  mutual  counsel  in  the  blessed  cause  of  our  dear 
Redeemer  and  His  precious  Church.  I  am  getting  ready 
for  a  tour  through  Dakota  Territory,  and  shall  probably  hear 
but  little  until  my  return  of  what  goes  on  in  the  Church  ;  but 
it  will  be  a  sore  grief  to  me  if  I  shall  learn  that  you  had  not 
accepted  the  call  to  the  Episcopate  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Clark- 
son  joins  with  me  in  all  my  gratification  and  in  my  congratula- 
tions.    We  have  often  spoken  of  you  and  Mrs.  C and 

the  children.  Please  give  our  most  affectionate  regards  to 
Mrs.  C . 

"  May  God  bless  and  keep  you  in  his  fear  and  love. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  Robt.  H.  Clarkson." 

By  the  same  steamer  came  a  letter  from  Bishop 
Kerfoot,  of  the  Diocese  of  Pittsburg. 


252  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


"New  Brighton,  Pa.,  June  13,  1866. 

"  My  Dear  Dr.  Cummins  :  I  said  '  Amen'  to  your  elec- 
tion at  once  ;  and  I  feel  as  though  I  must  not  longer  postpone 
writing  so  to  you  myself.  .  .  .  But  apart  from  that,  I  feel 
sure  that  you  can  and  would  do  a  great  and  good  work  in  Ken- 
tucky. .  .  .  But  my  brief  experience  makes  me  feel  bold 
to  say  to  any  honest  minister  of  Christ,  go  into  this  work  if 
God  calls.  No  man  can  safely  seek  it,  but  if  it  come  unsought  it 
comes  a  great  mercy,  a  great  grace  to  any  true  heart.  It 
brings  one  very  near  the  great  First  Bishop.  It  necessitates 
a  nearer  spiritual  and  self-consecration.  It  helps  towards 
this.  It  brings  so  many  new  and  wonderful  opportunities  to 
do  good  ;  makes  feeble  efforts  so  availing  ;  is  so  evidently  a 
divine  ordinance  to  accomplish  the  thousand  things  the 
Church  and  her  people  need,  that  the  privilege  grows  in  one's 
esteem  and  grateful  love  daily.  May  God  guide  you  now 
and  ever,  my  dear  brother. 

"  So  prays  your  faithful  friend  and  brother, 

"J.  B.  Kerfoot." 

The  following  is  the  next  in  order  of  date  : 

"Cincinnati,  June  13,  1866. 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  have  heard  with 
great  satisfaction  that  the  choice  of  Assistant  Bishop  of  Ken- 
tucky has  fallen  on  you.  I  had  feared  it  would  settle  on  some 
one  whose  views  of  divine  truth  and  influence  in  the  Church 
would  be  far  less  hopeful  for  good. 

"  Supposing  you  will  see  it  your  duty  to  accept  the  office, 
I  pray  that  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Ghost — the  spirit  of 
wisdom  and  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  ghostly 
strength — may  abide  upon  you,  to  make  you  strong  for  the 
truth,  and  brave  against  whatever  exalts  itself  against  God 
and  his  Gospe/. 

"  I  trust  our  two  dioceses — so  near  to  one  another  along 


ELECTION   TO    THE    EPISCOPATE.  253 

SO  extensive  a  line  of  separation — may  be  joined  together  in 
oneness  of  spirit  and  work. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  Chas.  P.  McIlvaine. 

"  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

Another  letter  from  Bishop  Smith  reached  Dr. 
Cummins  at  the  same  time  ;  it  is  dated 

"  New  Haven,  Conn.,  June  18,  1866. 

"  Mv  Dear  Doctor  :  In  a  letter,  sent  ten  days  ago  to 
Chicago,  to  be  transmitted  to  you,  I  expressed  my  thankful- 
ness to  God  that  the  choice  had  fallen  upon  you  as  my  assist- 
ant in  my  old  age,  and  promised  a  much  longer  letter  when  I 
arrived  here,  detailing  the  circumstances  of  your  election, 
giving  my  impressions  of  the  position  and  prospects  of  the 
diocese,  and  the  reasons  why  I  think  you  ought  to  accept. 
.  .  .  After  repeated  ballots  they  agreed  to  a  joint 
nominating  committee,  which  after  discussing  several  candi- 
dates finally  accepted  your  name  unanimously  and  with  en- 
thusiasm ;  and  you  were  at  once  almost  as  unanimously,  and 
with  far  more  sacred  enthusiasm,  declared  to  be  elected. 

".  .  .  The  reasons  why  I  think  you  ought  to  accept 
are, first — and  the  strongest — the  most  irresistible — is,  that  I  re- 
gard it  as  the  call  of  God  in  answer  to  prayer.  .  .  .  This 
field  is  very  inviting.  The  climate,  the  people,  the  work  are 
all  as  attractive  as  can  reasonably  be  expected.  But  my 
mind  is  dwelling  with  very  dark  forebodings  upon  the  conse- 
quences of  your  not  accepting.  May  God  bless  you  and 
put  it  into  your  heart  to  accept  this  call,  and  by  his  grace 
may  you  '  come  to  us  in  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the 
Gospel  of  peace. ' 

' '  Very  truly  and  affectionately  your  father  in  Christ, 

"B.  B.  Smith." 


254  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  Louisville,  Ky.,  June  22,  1866. 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  write  a  few  lines 
simply  to  assure  you  of  my  most  earnest  prayer  that  you  may 
feel  it  your  duty  to  accept  the  call  to  the  Assistant  Bishopric 
of  this  diocese. 

"  Your  election  was  as  good  as  unanimous.  I  can  assure 
you  of  a  warm  and  cordial  reception  by  clergy  and  laity 
throughout  the  State,  and  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  field  being 
one  in  which  you  will  accomplish  great  good.  On  the  other 
hand,  should  you  decline,  there  is  reason  to  fear  the  conse- 
quence must  be  immense  mischief  to  the  cause  of  Christ  for 
all  time. 

' '  Should  you  desire  any  information  which  I  may  be  able 
to  give  you,  please  call  on  me  without  hesitation,  or  make 
any  other  use  of  me  you  please.  That  God  may  preserve 
you  in  safety,  and  constrain  you  to  become  our  chief  pastor, 
to  the  glory  of  his  name,  is  the  prayer  of 

' '  Sincerely  your  friend  and  brother, 

Francis  M.  Whittle. 
"  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins." 

The  following  letter  from  Bishop  Stevens  reached 
Paris  a  little  later  than  those  from  the  United  States  : 

"  LiNDAU,  Bavaria,  June  30,  1866. 
"  My  Dear  Doctor  :  I  am  not  able  to  write  you,  as  I 
desire,  a  long  letter,  but  I  cannot  refrain  from  expressing  my 
intense  gratification  at  your  election  to  the  Assistant  Bishopric 
of  Kentucky.  From  the  depth  of  my  heart  I  bless  God  for 
putting  it  into  the  hearts  of  that  committee  to  nominate  you, 
and  into  the  will  of  the  Convention  to  elect  you.  It  is  a 
great  gain  for  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky — it  is  a  greater  gain 
for  the  Church  in  the  United  States,  for  your  presence  and 
counsels  in  the  House  of  Bishops  will,  I  am  sure,  tend  to  the 
extension  of  evangelical  truth  with  apostolic  order. 


i 


i 


ELECTION   TO    THE   EPISCOPATE.  255 

"  I  hope  to  reach  Paris,  with  my  daughter,  on  Saturday 
evening  next,  and  to  meet  you  on  Sunday  in  church,  should  I 
be  able  to  attend. 

"  Very  truly  yours,  Wm.  Bacon  Stevens. 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

"  San  Antonio,  Texas,  July  10,  1866. 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Brother  :  Permit  me  to  assure  you 
of  the  pleasure  afforded  me  by  the  intelligence  of  your  elec- 
tion to  the  Assistant  Bishopric  of  Kentucky.  While  a  posi- 
tion involving  the  heaviest  responsibilities  and  most  arduous 
labors,  yet  it  is  one  to  be  desired  by  him  who  is  called 
thereto  in  the  providence  of  God,  and  for  the  sake  of  Christ 
and  his  Church. 

"  I  trust  you  see  your  way  open  to  its  acceptance,  and  be 
largely  blessed  in  the  discharge  of  its  duties  by  him  whose- 
grace  is  sufficient  for  us,  and  who  demands  our  services  as 
they  may  be  wanted  for  his  work. 

"  Faithfully  yours  in  Christ,         "  Alex.  Gregg. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

To  say  that  letters  such  as  these  were  not  most 
gratifying  to  Dr.  Cummins  would  be  a  statement 
utterly  at  variance  with  his  whole  nature,  but  their 
reception,  for  a  time,  made  it  more  difficult  to  decide 
this  most  important  matter 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE   BISHOPRIC   ACCEPTED. 

'*  I  will  follow  at  thy  bidding, 
Only  make  the  pathway  plain — 
Let  me  know  that  thou  art  leading." 

Aged  44, 

IT  had  been  but  three  years  since  Dr.  Cummins 
had  accepted  the  charge  of  Trinity  Church, 
Chicago.  To  that  generous  people  he  owed  much, 
and  he  fully  appreciated  this  indebtedness.  No 
pains  or  money  had  been  spared  to  make  him  and  his 
family  happy  and  comfortable.  God  had  most  abun- 
dantly blessed  his  labors  among  them  to  the  saving 
of  many  souls.  His  health  had  been  much  stronger 
since  he  had  made  Chicago  his  home  ;  and  while  he 
had  been  able  to  enjoy  his  second  visit  to  Europe 
throughHhe  liberality  of  his  dear  people,  they  were 
also  caring  for  his  church  during  his  absence,  that  he 
might  have  no  anxiety.  Were  these  not  sufficient 
reasons  for  his  coming  back  to  the  hotel  in  Paris,  and 
with  a  sad  countenance  saying  to  his  wife,  "  I  am 
called  again  to  decide  a  most  important  question  ; 
God  only  can  help  me  to  act  wisely  and  for  his 
glory  "?  The  first  feeling  and  desire  of  Dr.  Cummins 
was  to  decide  the  call  to  the  episcopate,  and  not  to 
agitate  the  subject  further.     Indeed  for  many  days 


THE  BISHOPRIC  ACCEPTED.  257 

his  mind  was  almost  fixed  upon  this  decision.  The 
idea  of  leaving  his  noble  congregation,  the  field  so 
ripe  for  the  ingathering,  his  peaceful  country  home, 
where  every  tree  and  flower  was  endeared  to  him, 
to  go  to  a  new  and  untried  field,  the  responsibilities 
of  which  awed  him  at  times,  all  for  a  while  caused 
him  to  turn  away  from  this  call,  not  entertaining  a 
thought  of  accepting  it.  He  was  far  away,  too,  from 
those  with  whom  he  had  ever  taken  sweet  counsel. 
Situated  as  he  was,  he  had  no  one  to  whom  he  could 
turn  for  advice  and  guidance.  No,  not  so  ;  he  had 
One  on  whom  he  always  leaned,  One  who  had  hereto- 
fore been  his  unfailing  Friend  and  Guide.  Da}'  after 
day,  yes,  hour  after  hour,  he  communed  with  this 
beloved  Friend,  this  heavenly  Counsellor.  Most  ear- 
nestly did  he  implore  his  direction,  and  his  alone, 
and  then  he  asked  the  fervent  prayers  of  the  dear 
ones  around  him.  Before  the  question  was  finally 
settled  in  his  own  mind  the  above  letters  had 
reached  him.  They  naturally  had  much  to  do  with 
his  decision.  Without  one  thought  of  any  such  call 
being  made,  with  no  wish  to  leave  his  beloved  peo- 
ple, and  with  a  shrinking  from  doing  aught  that 
would  even  seem  like  ingratitude  to  the  cherished 
friends  from  whom  he  had  so  recently  parted,  he 
could  not  refuse  to  listen  to  the  earnest  expressions 
of  those  whom  he  felt  were  well  fitted  to  help  him 
in  this  great  and  important  decision.  They  came, 
too,  at  a  time  when  it  did  not  seem  presumption  to 
say  they  were  GotVs  messengers  to  tell  him  what  to 
do.  After  a  prayerful  consideration  of  each  letter. 
Dr.  Cummins  decided  to  accept  the  call  to  the  episco- 
pate, though  with  a  sad  heart.     Not  sad  because  of 


258  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

the  honor  done  to  him  by  Kentucky's  churchmen  ;  not 
sad  for  the  many  kindly  expressions  from  his  breth- 
ren in  the  Church  ;  not  sad  for  the  great  field  lying 
before  him  ready  for  the  husbandmen  ;  but  sad  that 
again  his  tent  must  be  struck,  and  once  more  the 
good-byes  be  said,  and  dear  hands  again  clasped  for 
the  last  time.  The  rending  of  such  ties  was  the 
saddest  part  of  his  life.  He  shrunk  from  it  as  few  men 
do,  and  those  who  knew  him  most  intimately  felt 
this  to  be  true.  His  was  too  loving  a  nature  not  to 
allow  his  heart's  warmest  affections  to  flow  out  to- 
wards his  friends.  Intensely  did  he  suffer  when 
called  to  part  with  them.  We  know  well  the  strug- 
gle of  those  days  in  June  and  July,  1866,  the  hours 
he  passed  in  discussing  the  all-absorbing  question, 
and  the  fervency  with  which  he  besought  his  Father's 
guidance.     In  his  journal  we  find  this  entry  : 

"Paris,  July  15,  1866. 
"  To-day  my  letters  of  acceptance  have  been  dispatched 
to  the  Standing  Committee  of  Kentucky  and  to  Bishop  Smith, 
and  also  a  letter  to  the  Vestry  of  Trinity  Church,  Chicago, 
announcing  my  purpose  to  accept  the  ofifice  of  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Kentucky." 

Thus  briefly  he  writes  of  what  had  cost  him  days 
of  anxiety  and  perplexity.  The  official  letters  being 
dispatched,  those  to  friends  were  written,  and  these 
were  very  sorrowful.  Had  he  not  had  the  hope 
that  he  was  doing  God's  will  in  accepting  the  ofifice 
of  bishop,  the  trial  would  have  been  far  more  severe. 
To  these  friends  he  frankly  told  all  that  was  in  his 
heart,  and  they,  as  generous  as  ever,  wrote  him 
sadly,   but   most  affectionately,    and    continued   his 


THE  BISHOPRIC  ACCEPTED.  259 

warm    friends    even  after  years  of  separation.       In 
August,  Bishop  Smith  wrote  him  as  follows  : 

"  New  Haven,  Conn.,  August  3,  1866. 
' '  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins  : 

"  My  Dear  Doctor  :  It  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  de- 
scribe the  emotions  of  grateful  delight  with  which,  five  days 
ago,  I  read  your  consent  to  become  my  assistant.  I  trusted 
the  providence  of  God  in  advance  ;  I  beheld  the  hand  of  God 
in  each  wonderful  step  as  the  movement  advanced  ;  and  I 
now  bless  and  adore  the  mercy  of  God,  which  has  brought  it 
all  so  nearly  to  completion  ;  and,  as  I  expressed  it  in  a  letter 
to  the  Presiding  Bishop  this  morning,  '  If  our  Lord  God 
will  only  grant  you  a  long  life  and  a  successful  episcopate,  my 
best  and  most  earnest  desires  will  be  fully  gratified.'! 
Your  suggestion  as  to  the  place  (in  which  your  consecration 
is  to  be)  is  peculiarly  gratifying  to  us  all. 

"  Your  hopeful,  loving  brother  in  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord, 

"  B.  B.  Smith." 

The  next  letter  received  by  Dr.  Cummins,  when 
in  England,  is  from  his  dear  and  reverend  friend 
Bishop  Hopkins  : 

"  Burlington,  Vt.,  August  2,  1866. 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  Your  welcome  letter 
from  Paris,  announcing  your  acceptance  of  the  office  of  Assist- 
ant Bishop  of  Kentucky,  so  unanimously  conferred  by  their 
Convention,  has  just  arrived,  and  gave  me  the  most  cordial 
pleasure.  God  be  praised  whose  spirit  guided  them  to  the 
choice  of  one  whom  I  esteem  so  highly.  And  may  his  abun- 
dant blessing  attend  your  labors,  and  prosper  them  to  the 
fullest  extent  desired  by  all  who  love  you. 

"  .  .  .  With  my  earnest  prayer  that  the  protecting 
hand   of   the  Lord  may  be  with  you,  lead  you  back  to  us  in 


26o  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

health  and  safety,  and  guide  you  and  yours  to  all  good  in  time 
and  in  eternity,  I  remain, 

' '  Your  affectionate  brother  in  Christ, 

"  John  H.  Hopkins. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

The  next  is  from  Rev.  Dr.  Craik  : 

"  Louisville,  August  2,  1866. 

"  My  Dear  Doctor  Cummins  :  I  have  the  pleasure  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  very  welcome  letters  of  the 
14th  ult.  It  is  a  subject  of  sincere  congratulation  to  us  all 
that  God  has  put  it  into  your  heart  to  make  this  sacrifice  for 
the  good  of  his  Church.  It  is  a  day  of  small  things  now  in 
Kentucky,  but  we  believe  that  the  material  is  here,  if  properly 
addressed,  v/ith  which  to  build  up  the  Church, 

"  .  .  .  We  shall  be  very  happy  if  you  will  bring  Mrs. 
Cummins  to  our  house  immediately  upon  your  arrival  in 
Louisville,  and  leave  her  there  while  you  make  your  visit  to 
Chicago  previous  to  the  consecration.  We  live  a  little  way 
out  of  town,  and  it  may  be  more  pleasant  for  her  on  that  ac- 
count. Christ  Church  being  the  mother  church  of  the  city, 
and  somewhat  better  arranged  for  such  a  service  than  any 
other,  I  should  greatly  prefer  to  have  the  consecration  there. 

"  Fervently  praying  that  our  Heavenly  Father  will  direct 
us  in  all  our  doings  with  his  most  gracious  favor,  and  further 
us  with  his  continual  help  in  this  great  crisis  in  the  history 
of  his  kingdom,  I  am,  very  respectfully. 

Your  friend  and  brother,  James  Craik. 

"  The  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins,  D.D," 

After  a  prolong'ed  stay  in  Paris,  Dr.  Cummins  and 
his  family  returned  to  England.  His  consecration 
was    fixed  for    November    15th,    in   Christ  Church, 


THE  BISHOPRIC  ACCEPTED.  26 1 

Louisville.   While  at  Sudbrook  Park,  near  Richmond, 
he  received  another  letter  from  Bishop  Smith  : 

"  New  Haven,  Conn.,  August  17,  1866. 
' '  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins  : 

Mv  VERY  Dear  Brother  :  Since  I  last  wrote  you,  some 
correspondence  has  taken  place  between  me  and  the  Presiding 
Bishop  which  it  is  proper  to  report.  ...  I  am  assured, 
however,    as    I    now    do   yo.u,    and    as     I    argued    to    Mr. 

W ,  that  I  regard  all  these  things  as  the  small  dust  of  the 

balance  compared  with  the  preponderating  mercy  of  the  an- 
swer to  prayer  in  an  almost  unanimous  election,  and  in  the 
gift  of  such  a  co-worker  in  the  one  great  work  of  upholding 
the  ark  of  God  ! 

"  God  bless  my  dear  son  in  the  Gospel  of  our  common 
Lord  !  B.  B.  Smith." 

A  letter  from  a  friend  and  presbyter  of  the  dio- 
cese contains  the  following  sentences  : 

"  We  congratulate  you  upon  the  improving  health  of  Mrs. 

C .     God  grant  she  may  be  completely  restored  !     We 

are  hopefully  anticipating  your  settlement  in  our  midst,  and 
are  sanguine  of  a  prosperous  diocese  through  God's  blessing 
upon  your  labors.  I  send  you  by  mail  to-day  a  copy  of  the 
Journal  of  Convention  (1866),  which  will  afford  you  all  the  in- 
formation available. 

The  months  of  August  and  September,  and  part 
of  October,  were  passed  most  pleasantly  in  various 
parts  of  England,  and  in  the  middle  of  October  they 
returned  to  the  United  States.  Ten  days  were 
passed  in  New  York,  and  then  Dr.  Cummins  and  his 
family  turned  their  faces  westwards  for  their  new 
home.       Arriving    safely    in    Louisville,   they  were 


262  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

kindly  greeted  by  several  friends,  and   at  once  taken 
to  the  country  home  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Craik. 

Leaving  his  family  there,  Dr.  Cummins  went  to 
Chicago,  where  he  spent  two  Sundays  with  his  dear 
people  previous  to  his  consecration.  The  generous 
congregation  of  Trinity  Church  presented  him  with  a 
handsome  set  of  bishop's  robes,  which  he  wore 
throughout  his  episcopate,  and  was  clad  in  them 
when  laid  away  in  the  cemetery  near  Baltimore, 
where  he  rests  now  awaiting  the  resurrection.  The 
letter  herewith  given  reached  him  while  in  New 
York: 

"Geneva,  October  30,  1866. 
"  My    Dear   Doctor  :    You   are   truly  welcome  home 
again,  I  trust  with  health  renewed,   and  with    strength  for 
your  great  work. 

"  I  felt  the  high  compliment  of  your  request  that  I  should 
preach  at  your  consecration.  It  would  have  very  pleasantly 
revived  our  old  relations  at  Baltimore  had  I  been  able  to  take 
even  an  inferior  part  in  your  consecration,  but  it  is  not  possi- 
ble. My  appointments  for  November  were  all  made,  and  my 
time  is  so  preoccupied  that  I  could  not  have  prepared  a  ser- 
mon equal  to  so  important  an  occasion. 

"  May  the  Lord  be  with  you  and  bless  your  episcopate. 
Farewell  now  to  what  makes  the  happiness  of  clerical  life  ! 
The  episcopate  is  full  of  the  happiness  that  arises  from  the 
noblest  opportunities  of  doing  the  Master's  work  ;  but  it  is  so 
wearing.,  so  incessantly  absorbing,  and  so  cut  off  from  those 
near  relations  which  we  form  in  parochial  life.  I  pray  that 
as  your  day  so  your  strength  may  be. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  your  brotherly  course  in  Baltimore. 
"  Yours  sincerely  and  faithfully, 

"  A.  Cleveland  Coxe. 
"  The  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 


THE  BISHOPRIC  ACCEPTED.  263 

The  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  Iowa  writes  as  follows  : 

"Davenport,  November  i,  1866. 

"  My  Dear  Doctor  Cummins  :  Yours  from  Leamington 
was  duly  received.  I  hope  this  will  find  you  safe  and  well  in 
Chicago.  I  hope  to  be  able  to  accept  your  kind  invitation  to 
be  present  at  your  consecration,  though  my  health  is  not  very 
good. 

"  May  God  bless  you  in  your  new  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties I  I  never  feel  like  congratulating  any  one  upon  his  call 
to  the  episcopate,  from  my  own  experience  of  its  cares  and 
burdens  ;  but  I  can  heartily  welcome  you  to  our  number,  and 
bid  you  God-speed  in  your  important  work. 

"  Faithfully  yours,  Henry  W.  Lee." 

From  an  esteemed  parishioner  of  St.  James's,  Rich- 
mond, Dr.  Cummins  received  a  valued  letter  at  this 
time  dated 

"Montgomery,  Ala.,  November  6,  1866. 

"  My  Dear  Sir  :  The  news  of  your  election  to,  and  ac- 
ceptance of,  the  Assistant  Bishopric  of  Kentucky  truly  re- 
joiced me.  You  are  just  the  man  for  that  field.  Your  zeal, 
your  eloquence,  and  that  warm  heart  of  yours  which  draws 
everybody  to  you,  will  create  in  your  diocese  an  influence 
which  must  greatly  benefit  our  beloved  Church.  I  only  wish  I 
could  work  by  your  side. 

"  The  voice  of  your  old  parishioner — of  one  whose  sincere 
attachment  time  has  never  weakened — will,  I  trust,  be  welcome 
at  this  time.  I  will  be  with  you  in  spirit  at  your  consecra- 
tion, and  will  breathe  the  warmest  prayer  of  my  heart  that  God 
may  bless  you  with  all  blessings  and  spiritual  understanding, 

"  Believe  me,  with  great  respect  and  affection,  your  friend, 

"  Hubert  P,  Lefebvre." 

They  have  met  long  since  in  heaven. 


264  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

The  letter  here  given  is  from  one  whom  Dr.  Cum- 
mins loved  and  revered,  and  whose  friendship  and 
sympathy  he  enjoyed  for  many  years  : 

"  Cincinnati,  November  12,  1866. 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  have  fully  expected 
to  be  at  your  consecration,  and  perhaps  will  be  ;  but  I  am 
now  so  unwell  with  a  severe  cold  and  cough  that  it  is  very 
doubtful. 

"  I  write  this  in  order  that  should  I  not  be  there  you 
may  be  aware  of  the  cause.  I  hope  the  solemnity  may  be  free 
from  any  of  the  '  novelties  that  disturb  our  peace. '  .  .  . 
May  the  Lord  give  you  abundantly  the  anointing  of  his  Spirit, 
and  make  you  strong  to  be  a  defetider  as  well  as  teacher  of  the 
truth  in  its  simplicity,  in  these  days  when  the  snares  of  Pop- 
ery and  Infidelity  on  two  sides,  associated  with  and  getting 
strength  from  the  snares  of  the  world  and  the  flesh  on  all 
sides,  give  such  responsibility  to  the  office  of  a  minister  of 
Christ,  and  especially  to  the  office  of  a  bishop,  '  set  for  the 
defence  of  the  Gospel.' 

"  The  times  demand  great  firmness  and  faithfulness,  as 
well  as  zeal  and  diligence. 

"  Your  affectionate  friend  and  brother, 

"  Chas.  p.  McIlvaine. 
"  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CONSECRATION  AND   WORK. 

"  Let  thy  soldier,  still  contending,  still  be  with  thy  strength  supplied  ; 
Thou  wilt  not  deny  the  quiet,  when  the  arms  are  laid  aside — 
Make  me  meet  with  thee  forever,  in  that  country  to  abide." 

From  the  GerDian. 

Aged  44-45. 

THROUGH  the  great  kindness  of  a  frieno,  an 
elegant  private  car  was  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  friends  from  Chicago  who  wished  to  attend  Dr. 
Cummins's  consecration,  and  every  exertion  was  made 
to  make  the  party,  consisting  of  some  twelve  persons, 
comfortable.  They  had  a  pleasant  journey  to  Louis- 
ville, where  they  were  most  hospitably  entertained 
by  the  members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  that  city,  and  some  of  the  clergy  took  part  in  the 
ceremony. 

There  are  numerous  newspaper  reports  before  us, 
from  which  we  could  take  extracts,  but  we  prefer 
giving  the  simple  account  from  Dr.  Cummins's  jour- 
nal.    He  writes  : 

"  Louisville,  November  15,  1866. 

"  This  day  I  was  consecrated  a  bishop  in  the  Church  of 
God,  in  Christ  Church,  Louisville,  by  the  Right  Reverend 
John  Henry  Hopkins,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  of  Vermont,  Presiding 
Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States,    assisted    by  Bishops   Smith,    of   Kentucky,    Lee,    of 


266  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS 

Iowa,  Talbot,  of  Indiana,  Clarkson,  of  Nebraska,  Quintard, 
of  Tennessee,  and  Kerfoot,  of  Pittsburg. 

"  Morning  Prayer  to  the  Psalter  was  read  by  the  Rev.  E. 
F.  Berkley,  D.D.,  of  St.  Louis.  The  First  Lesson,  Zechariah, 
third  chapter,  by  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Venable,  of  Versailles, 
Ky.  ;  the  Second  Lesson,  Acts,  first  chapter,  by  the  Rev. 
Clinton  Locke,  of  Chicago  ;  the  Nicene  Creed  and  Versicles, 
by  the  Rev.  J.  N.  Norton,  D.D.,  of  Frankfort,  Ky.  ;  Pray- 
ers, by  the  Rev.  H,  N.  Bishop,  D.D.,  of  Chicago  ;  io6th 
Psalm,  by  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Shipman,  of  Lexington,  Ky. 

"  Collect  and  Commandments,  by  Bishop  Quintard,  of 
Tennessee  ;  Epistle,  by  Bishop  Talbot,  of  Indiana  ;  Gospel, 
by  Bishop  Lee,  of  Iowa  ;  29th  Hymn,  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Piatt, 
of  Louisville. 

"  Sermon,  by  Bishop  Lee,  of  Iowa,  from  the  text  St. 
John  20  :  21,  22,  23. 

"  Bishops  Clarkson  and  Talbot  were  my  presenters. 
Rev,  Dr.  Craik  and  Rev.  F.  M.  Whittle  the  attending  pres- 
byters. 

**  The  Litany  was  said  by  Bishop  Smith,  of  Kentucky. 

"  The  Rev.  J.  J.  Talbot,  of  Louisville,  read  the  testimo- 
nials to  my  election. 

"  Veni  Creator  Spiritiis  was  sung  antiphonally  by  the 
Presiding  Bishop  and  the  bishops,  clergy,  and  people. 

"  I  am  the  eighty-first  in  the  order  of  succession  of  Amer- 
ican Bishops," 

We  quote  from  the  Church  Journal,  November 
2ist,  1866  : 

"  The  Episcopal  Oath  was  then  taken,  in  a  firm,  clear, 
and  manly  tone,  audible  in  every  part  of  the  church. 
The  interrogatories  were  then  put  by  the  Presiding  Bishop,  the 
answers  being  made  with  great  distinctness.  Being  then  vested 
with  the  rest  of  the  episcopal  habit  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Craik  and 
the  Rev.  F.  M.  Whittle,  the  Assistant  Bishop-elect  knelt,  and 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  267 


the  Veni  Creator  Spiritus  was  sung  over  him.  ,  .  ,  All  the 
seven  bishops  united  in  the  laying  on  of  hands.  .  .  After 
the  delivery  of  the  Bible  and  the  Pastoral  Charge,  the  new 
Bishop  was  received  within  the  chancel  rail  and  long  knelt  in 
private  devotion  before  the  altar,  while  the  church  rang  with 
the  triumphant  strains  of  Mozart's  Gloria  in  Excelsis,  admi- 
rably sung  by  the  choir. 

"  Dr.  Craik  announced  that  the  proceeds  of  the  offertory 
would  be  devoted  to  the  work  of  diocesan  missions,  and  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  a  large  sum  might  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  new  bishop  to  encourage  him  at  the  beginning  of 
his  work. 

"  The  Communion  Service  followed,  in  which  the  bishops 
assisted  the  Presiding  Bishop.  After  the  singing  of  the  old 
Gloria  in  Excelsis  the  Presiding  Bishop  offered  the  prayer  for 
the  new  bishop,  and  gave  the  blessing  of  peace.  The  chan- 
cel steps  were  long  thronged  by  those  who  wished  to  congrat- 
ulate the  new  bishop  and  bid  him  a  hearty  God-speed. 

' '  The  music  was  especially  fine  ;  a  choir  of  fifty  voices — 
some  of  remarkable  sweetness — rendered  the  chants  with  great 
artistic  finish  and  joyous  energy,  in  full  keeping  with  the 
happy  occasion." 

The  spacious  church  was  crowded  to  its  utmost 
capacity.  Just  as  the  new  bishop  knelt  before  the 
communion  table,  a  broad,  bright  ray  of  sunlight 
poured  its  golden  light  over  him.  All  present  re- 
marked the  striking  incident,  and  there  were  many 
who  witnessed  it  with  tearful  eyes,  and  prayed  fer- 
vently that  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  might  ever  thus 
shed  its  beams  upon  the  heart  of  him  who  had  just 
assumed  such  great  responsibilities.  Besides  the 
seven  bishops,  there  were  twenty-three  clergymen 
from  Kentucky,  three  from   Indiana,  eight  from  lUi- 


268  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

nois,  two  from  Missouri,  two  from  Tennessee,  one 
from  New  York,  three  from  Ohio,  and  one  from 
Mexico.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  missionary 
meeting  held  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  Louisville.  Bishop 
Smith  presided,  and  addresses  were  made  by  Bishops 
Talbot,  Clarkson,  Kerfoot,  Lee,  of  Iowa,  and  Bishop 
Cummins.  On  Friday  evening  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  Louisville  invited  the  visitors  and  members  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to  his  house,  to  welcome 
their  assistant  bishop,  and  to  confer  together  as  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  diocese,  until  the  Convention 
of  the  following  May.  We  quote  from  the  Louisville 
Courier -Journal  of  November  i6th  : 

"  The  missionary  meeting  was  held  in  St.  Paul's  Church. 
Bishop  Cummins  was  the  next  speaker,  and  he  spoke 
very  eloquently  and  impressively.  He  designated  the  great 
want  of  the  Church  as  being  organization,  with  more  love  for 
Christ  and  more  zeal  for  his  Church.  His  words  thrilled 
every  heart,  and  assured  every  one  that  in  the  high  ofifice  to 
which  he  has  just  been  called  he  will  accomplish  a  noble  work. 
Church  people  throughout  the  diocese  will  receive  their  new 
bishop  with  open  arms.  His  presence  and  voice  will  awaken 
new  life  and  zeal  in  every  parish." 

The  first  entry  in  the  diary  of  Bishop  Cummins 
is  dated  Louisville,  November  i8th  : 

' '  This  day — Twenty-fifth  Sunday  after  Trinity — I  officiat- 
ed in  the  morning  at  Christ  Church,  reading  the  Ante-Com- 
munion service — except  the  epistle — and  preached  from  Reve- 
lation 3  :  8.  Sunday  night,  November  i8th,  I  preached  in 
St.  Paul's  Church." 

The  first  letter  we  have  after  his  consecration  is 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  269 

dated  November  17th.  His  family  were  in  Chicago, 
having  returned  in  the  private  car  with  the  bishops 
and  clergy,  and  the  kind  friend  from  Chicago  who 
had  cared  most  untiringly  for  the  comfort  of  the 
entire  party.  From  letters  written  at  this  time  we 
extract  the  following  : 

"Louisville,  November  17,  1866. 
It  seems  as  though  the  events  through  which  we  have 
passed  in  the  last  few  days  have  made  my  precious  family 
doubly  dear  to  me.  May  God  sanctify  me  for  my  new  office. 
My  ride  back  from  Jeffersonville  was  a  sad  one.  I  trust  a 
merciful  Father's  arm  was  around  you,  preserving  you  from 

harm.     I  dined  at  Mr.  S 's  with  Bishops  Hopkins  and 

Quintard,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Shipman  and  Rev.  Mr.  Venable,  Dr. 

and  Mrs.  Craik,  Mr.  T ,  and  Mr.  A of  Dr.  Craik's 

vestry.     I  felt  too  sad  to  be  able  to  make  myself  agreeable. 

I  took  tea  at  Judge  H 's  with  Bishop  Hopkins,  his  son, 

and  Bishop  Quintard.     Mr.  S kindly  invited  me  to  make 

his  house  my  home,  and  I  consented.  I  only  wish  the  invita- 
tion had  come  to  all  my  little  flock,  but  during  this  week 
their  house  was  full  of  guests. 

"  November  18. — My  thoughts  turn  to-day  with  ceaseless 
longing  to  my  precious  ones,  and  my  heart  is  with  you,  so  far 
away  !  To-day  I  began  my  work  in  the  diocese  at  Christ 
Church.  Dr.  Craik  made  a  noble  appeal  for  the  church  at 
Maysville.  I  spoke  also.  The  sum  needed  was  raised,  and 
even  more  than  was  asked  for." 

Before  leaving  New  York,  and  soon  after  "his  ar- 
rival in  the  United  States,  Bishop  Cummins  had 
entered  his  son  at  the  Lehigh  University  at  Bethle- 
hem, Pa.,  of  which  Henry  Coppee,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
was  then  president.  There  the  bishop's  son  remained 
until  1869. 


270  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

The  bishop's  family  spent  several  weeks  in  Chi- 
cago with  friends,  and  as  soon  as  his  duties  per- 
mitted he  joined  them  and  officiated  several  times 
for  his  former  congregation. 

While  this  visit  was,  for  many  reasons,  a  sad  one, 
yet  it  gave  pleasure  as  well,  as  the  circumstances  of 
the  bishop's  election  to  the  episcopate  had  rendered 
it  impossible  for  him  to  return  to  Chicago  imme- 
diately after  his  return  from  Europe,  and  he  felt  it  to 
be  due  to  these  kind  friends  to  be  among  them  for 
awhile. 

"Louisville,  November  19. 
"  Rev.  Mr.  T called  to  ask  me  to  confirm  in    pri- 
vate a  man  who  is  very  ill — and  this  is  my  first  confirmation. 
I  also  administered  the  communion  to  him." 

"Lexington,  Ky.,  November  21,  1866. 

"  Yesterday  Mrs.  W drove  with  me  about  the  town 

and  suburbs.  Lexington  is  not  a  handsome  town,  but  the 
country  around  is  lovely.  We  drove  to  the  cemetery,  from 
the  centre  of  which  towers  a  lofty  and  noble  monument  to 
Henry  Clay.  There  are  many  beautiful  homes  in  the  town. 
The  people  are  refined  and  elegant  in  their  manners,  and 
just  like  Virginians.  Dr.  Totten  has  opened  a  church  school 
for  girls  here.  I  preached  in  Christ  Church.  The  church  is 
a  beautiful  building  and  very  large.  In  the  evening  there 
was  a  reception  at  Rev.  Mr.  S 's  house,  that  the  congre- 
gation might  meet  me.  They  all  gave  me  a  most  warm  and 
cordial  welcome,  and  I  like  them  very  much. 

"  I  think  we  would  find  Lexington  a  happy  home  and  the 
people  very  congenial.  There  is  no  great  progress,  as  in  Chi- 
cago, and  no  bustle  ;  but  there  is  refinement  and  warmth  of 
heart  and  much  that  makes  life  desirable.  I  go  to-day  to 
Louisville,   and  thence  to   Bowling  Green  ;    and    expect  to 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK'.  27 1 

reach  Chicago  by  the  first  Sunday  in  December,  and  will 
preach  in  Trinity  Church.  When  I  left  Louisville  for  this 
place  we  were  detained  at  Frankfort  for  some  time,  a  freight 

train  being   off  the  track.     I  went  up  to  see  Dr.  N :  he 

received  me  very  kindly,  and  we  had  a  pleasant  talk  about 
church  matters.  He  told  me  that  in  the  committee  that 
nominated  me  half  were  low  churchmen  and  half  high  church- 
men, and  after  discussing  many  names  with  no  agreement 
Governor  S asked  him  how  he  felt  about  me.  He  re- 
plied favorably,  and  Governor  S arose  and  nominated 

me  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  Dr.  N immediately  sec- 
onded the  nomination." 

"  Bowling  Green,  November  23. 

"  I  am  thus  far  safely  on  my  visitation  tour,  and  by  God's 
blessing  have  been  preserved  from  all  harm.  The  robbers 
who  assaulted  the  train  on  this  road  have  all  been  arrested 
and  are  now  in  jail,  and  will  be  doubtless  severely  punished. 

"  I  found  the  little  flock  of  our  church  people  here  wor- 
shipping in  a  very  small  frame  school  house,  and  this  in  a 
town  of  four  or  five  thousand  people.     I  have  called  all  the 

people  to  meet  me  to-morrow  night  at  the  house  of  Mr.  H , 

and  I  intend  to  see  what  can  and  will  be  done  towards  build- 
ing a  church.  I  will  try  to  aid  them  from  elsewhere.  The 
more  I  see  of  the  diocese,  the  more  I  am  impressed  with  the 
feebleness  of  our  Church  in  this  State.  Outside  of  I-ouis- 
ville,  Lexington,  and  two  or  three  towns  on  the  Ohio  River, 
the  Church  scarcely  exists.  It  has  a  nominal  existence  in  a 
few  towns  like  this,  but  little  more  than  nominal.  But  there 
is  a  vast  portion  of  the  State  where  the  population  is  sparse, 
the  country  inaccessible,  with  no  railroads,  and  scarcely  a 
town  of  three  hundred  or  four  hundred  people  in  any  county. 
In  these  portions  of  the  diocese  I  am  told  that  there  is  no 
prospect  of  a  beginning  for  our  Church  perhaps  for  a  genera- 
tion ;  the  population  is  very  rude,  ignorant,  and  demoralized. 


2/2  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

Some  counties  on  the  border  of  Tennessee  are  the  hiding- 
places  of  desperate  men,  who  live  by  such  deeds  as  that  com- 
mitted on  the  railway  lately.  My  work,  of  necessity,  must  lie 
in  the  towns,  and  in  the  strip  of  country  lying  just  south  of  the 
Ohio  River.  The  towns  of  Kentucky,  where  our  work  must 
alone  lie  for  a  generation  to  come,  are  all  easy  of  access  from 
Louisville  or  Lexington.  Louisville  is  a  far  more  beautiful 
city  than  you  could' imagine  from  your  brief  sojourn  there. 
It  has  pleasant  society,  and  I  think  I  could  do  more  for  the 
advancement  of  the  Church  by  being  in  Louisville  than  in 
Lexington,  in  the  way  of  establishing  mission  churches  and 
new  congregations  by  my  own  services  when  I  was  at  home, 
and  also  by  superintending  charities,  which  we  hope  to  estab- 
lish there,  such  as  a  Church  Home  and  Hospital.  The  con- 
dition of  the  colored  people  has  interested  me  deeply.  We 
are  going  to  do  what  we  can  to  bring  them  under  the  influ- 
ence of  our  Church  by  schools  and  services,  and  doubtless  a 
few  years  will  work  a  great  change  in  their  condition. 

"  Saturday. — Mr.  W has   just   brought   me  L 's 

letter.  What  a  journey  !  and  what  an  experience  !  I  am 
most  grateful  to  God  that  you  bore  the  tossings  about  so 
well." 

"  Bowling  Green,  November  26. 
"  Saturday  evening  I  met  the  friends  of  our  Church,  and 
after  an  earnest  conversation  they  determined  to  raise  one 
thousand  dollars  among  themselves  towards  a  church  edifice. 
There  are  only  about  twelve  Episcopal  families  here.  I  in- 
tend to  make  an  earnest  effort  to  raise  two  thousand  dollars 
more  to  put  up  the  building.  I  preached  twice  on  Sunday  in  the 
Baptist  church,  and  confirmed  a  class.  The  congregation  was 
large,  and  composed  of  persons  of  other  denominations.  I  meet 
some  of  the  people  again  to-day  to  talk  over  the  prospects  of 
the  Church  and  to  deepen  their  interest  in  the  work.  At  one 
o'clock  to-day  I  leave  with  Rev.  Mr.  W for  Russellville. 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  273 


Tuesday   I   go    to    Clarksville,   Tenn.,   and  Wednesday    to 
Hopkinsville,  Ky. ,  to  hold  services. 

"  I  have  had  many  thoughts  of  our  future  since  we  parted, 
and  sometimes  they  have  been  sad  ones.  But  I  am  sure  this 
is  wrong,  and  I  try  to  dismiss  them,  and  cherish  brighter  re- 
flections. If  our  way  has  been  indeed  chosen  for  us  of  God, 
and  we  try  to  do  his  work,  he  will  make  our  path  bright  and 
blessed  and  cause  all  sacrifice  to  be  a  joy." 

"  RussELLviLLE,  November  28,  1866. 
"  We  reached  this  place  at  seven  o'clock,  and  found  the 
church  already  filled,  indeed  crowded.  I  preached,  and  con- 
firmed and  addressed  the  class  of  candidates.  Yesterday  at 
3.30  P.M.  the  people  came  to  confer  with  me  concerning  the 
opening  for  our  Church.  The  town  has  about  fifteen  hundred 
people  in  it,  and  those  I  have  met  with  are  very  pleasant. 
They  received  me  very  warmly.  I  wish  to  establish  here,  in 
connection  with  Bowling  Green,  an  associate  mission,  and  to 
place  a  clergyman    here    to  work   in   connection   with   Mr. 

W .      The   opening   is   promising   for    our   Church.      I 

preached  again  at  night  ;  the  people  seemed  deeply  interested 
in  the  services." 

About  this  time  Bishop  Cummins  received  sev- 
eral letters  from  friends,  from  which  we  quote.  The 
first  is  from  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  is  dated  November  22d,  1866  : 

"  My  very  Dear  Friend  :  Having  lately  heard  that  your 
consecration  to  the  sacred  office  of  a  bishop  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  was  to  take  place  the  middle  of  this  month,  I  desire  to 
offer  my  sincere  congratulations  and  my  earnest  prayers  that 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  who  has  called  you  to  that 
office,  may  abundantly  replenish  you  with  all  the  gifts  and 
graces  requisite  to  the  successful  administration  of  the  holy 


274  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

functions  appertaining  thereto.  .  .  .  Believe  me,  my  dear 
friend,  it  was  with  unmingled  feelings  of  joy  and  thankfulness 
that  I  first  heard  of  your  election,  and  I  should  have  written 
immediately  to  express  my  feelings  had  I  known  your  address. 
I  did  not  know  your  whereabouts  in  England  or  the  United 
States.  I  feel  assured  that  your  new  position  will,  by  God's 
grace,  be  profitable  to  those  over  whom  he  has  appointed  you 
overseer.  Your  sphere  of  usefulness  is  now  much  enlarged  : 
may  you  be  the  honored  instrument  in  God's  hands  of  win- 
ning many  souls  to  Christ.  It  would  have  given  me  much 
pleasure  to  have  been  present  at  your  consecration,  and  added 
my  prayers  to  those  which  undoubtedly  went  up  from  many 
hearts  to  the  throne  of  grace  for  the  new  apostle  of  the  Lord — 
the  new  leader  of  the  Lord's  hosts  in  the  conflict  with  sin  and 
Satan.  Those  prayers,  though  not  presented  then  and  there, 
have  yet,  I  trust,  reached  the  mercy-seat  with  acceptance. 

"  It  is  a  very  great  pleasure  to  write  to  you  again,  and  I 
shall  long  to  hear  from  you.     Give  our  united  love  to  our 

very  dear  friend  Mrs.  C ,  and  each  of  your  dear  children, 

and  believe  me 

"  Your  very  sincere  friend,  T.  T.  R. " 

The  next  in  order  of  date  is  from  Bishop  Vail  : 

"Atchison,  Kan.,  November  24,  1866. 
"  For  the  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cunmiins,  Z>.Z>. ,  Louisville,  Ky.: 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  I  should  have 
written  you  before  your  consecration  had  I  not  known  that 
you  were  abroad,  and  if  I  could  have  learned  in  my  prairie 
fields,  where  I  spent  the  summer,  how  to  address  you. 

"  I  would  now  write  to  give  you  the  welcome  of  a  humble 
brother  upon  your  entrance  into  the  Episcopate. 

"  In  the  confidence  of  your  brethren  I  congratulate  you. 
In  the  assumption  of  new  responsibilities  I  sympathize  with 
you.     I  pray  that  God  may  be  with  you,  by  his  Holy  Spirit, 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  275 

to  bless  you  in  your  efforts  to  extend  the  knowledge  among 
your  people  of  the  blessed  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
that  the  glory  of  our  dear  Lord  Jesus  may  be  accomplished 
through  you. 

"  I  know  of  none  who,  in  the  good  old  Diocese  of  Ken- 
tucky— old  among  our  Western  dioceses — could  have  been 
more  fitly  selected,  or  could  effect,  by  God's  grace,  a  larger 
blessing  for  the  fold  of  Christ. 

"  May  the  Holy  Ghost  speed  and  prosper  you  !  Believe 
me,  affectionately, 

"  Your  friend  and  brother,  Thomas  H.  Vail." 

The  following  is  from  Bishop  Lee  of  Delaware  : 

"Wilmington,  Del.,  November  26,  1866. 
' '  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins  : 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  It  would  have  been  exceedingly 
pleasant  to  me  to  have  been  present  at  your  consecration,  hav- 
ing always,  since  our  first  acquaintance,  felt  so  much  interest 
in  your  welfare  and  success. 

"My  constant  journeyings  for  the  last  eight  months  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  as  well  as  in  my  own  diocese, 
made  it  hardly  possible  for  me  to  accept  the  invitation  which 
I  received  from  Bishop  Smith. 

"  I  can  hardly  congratulate  you  on  your  appointment  to 
an  office  involving  so  much  labor  and  such  dread  responsi- 
bility, but  I  trust  you  will  be  mercifully  sustained  and  greatly 
prospered  in  your  work.  At  all  times  and  in  all  places  the 
work  of  a  bishop  is  full  of  weight  and  difficulty.  It  must  be 
particularly  so  in  the  field  upon  which  you  are  now  to  enter. 
Commending  you  to  him  who  is  able  to  make  all  grace 
abound  towards  us,  and  assuring  you  of  cordial  sympathy  and 
affectionate  regard, 

"  I  remain  vour  brother  in  the  Lord, 

"  Alfred  Lee." 


2/6  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


The  next  letter  is  from  a  beloved  friend,  a  lawyer 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  and  a  member  of  his  congre- 
gation while  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  one  who  had 
been  as  a  brother  to  him  for  years  : 

"Washington,  November  25,  1866. 

"  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D.  :  It  is  a  holy 
title  in  which  you  have  been  clothed,  my  dear  friend  and 
teacher  in  sacred  things.  Yet  I  do  not  love  you  one  whit  the 
more  for  the  dignity  of  your  high  office  than  when  you  were 
my  own  pastor. 

"  Among  all  those  who  rejoice  to  hear  of  your  election  to 
the  bishopric,  I  will  give  place  to  none  in  the  joy  and  delight 
your  promotion  affords.  You  never  will  know  what  a  com- 
fort it  is  to  me  to  have  you  feel  towards  me  confidence  in  my 
unabated  affection,  and  to  believe  I  retain  your  esteem.  You 
are,  and  have  been  ever  since  we  first  met,  my  most  helping 
and  strengthening  brother  in  Christ,  and  I  can  assure  you 
I  have  missed  you  sadly  in  every  way  since  you  left  your 
flock  in  Washington.  But  I  see  how  plainly  it  was  all  or- 
dered by  him  'who  doeth  all  things  well,'  and  how,  when 
you  were  called  to  rend  asunder  ties  you  formed  here — that 
will  last  through  eternity — and  how  I  felt  and  believed  and 
even  favored — with  pain — the  removal  to  Baltimore,  it  was 
but  the  step  from  stone  to  stone  by  which  God  was  prepar- 
ing you  to  meet  his  call  for  a  higher  station  of  usefulness  in 
his  service.  I  know  you  realize  far  more  than  I  can  compre- 
hend the  nature  of  your  duties,  and  the  preparation  for  the 
work.  May  he  for  whom  you  have  heretofore  labored  guide 
you  to  all  strength  and  fitness  for  your  work.  How  I  would 
have  rejoiced  to  have  witnessed  the  solemnities  at  Christ 
Church  on  the  15th  !  My  soul  would  have  been  lifted  up  by 
the  deep  emotion  of  my  heart  to  see  one  I  love  so  much — by 
the  unanimous  voice  of  his  brethren  in  the  Church,  laymen 
and  ministers — receive  the  '  commission  '  anew,  coupled  with 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  ZJJ 

graver  duties,  and  vested  with  larger  powers  for  usefulness, 
I  meant  to  write  only  about  your  new  office,  and  to 
tell  you  how  much  talk  and  pleasant  things  your  old  friends 
have  to  say  about  it.  It  gratifies  me  to  see  how  strong  the 
love  is  they  bear  you.  The  newspaper  is  going  around  from 
hand  to  hand  and  house  to  house  ;  all  are  touched  and 
charmed  M'ith  its  accounts,  and  the  excellent  discourse  of 
Bishop  Lee  ;  and  I  was  doubly  glad  the  teacher  of  the  hour 
was,  as  he  claimed  to  be,  '  your  intimate  friend.' 

"  My  dear  mother  charged  me  to  say  for  her  that  she  fully 
believes  you  are  called  to  the  office,  and  that  God  will  furnish 
you  with  strength  for  your  duties.     Love  to  all  your  family." 

The  following  is  from  Bishop  Cummins's  kind 
friend  for  seven  years,  Ex-Governor  Stevenson  of 
Kentucky  : 

"  Covington,  December  12,  1866. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  wrote  you  a  long  letter  in  Octo- 
ber, and  directed  it  to  Chicago,  hoping  it  would  greet  you 
upon  your  return  from  Europe.  I  fear  it  has  been  consigned 
to  the  Dead  Letter  Office  at  Washington. 

"  It  had  no  other  merit  than  the  sincere  outpouring  of 
the  warm  heart  of  a  thorough  Episcopalian,  of  the  Virginia 
Bishop  Meade  stamp,  to  his  beloved  and  newly  elected  dio- 
cesan !  Besides  my  gratitude  at  your  election  and  a  narra- 
tive of  the  peculiar  and  providential  blessings  which  seemed 
to  culminate  in  the  glorious  and  closing  work  of  our  Conven- 
tion, I  begged  you  always  to  consider  my  house  your  home, 
and  to  be  assured  of  the  affectionate  greeting  which  would 
always  await  you  in  our  family  circle.  .  .  .  You  have  been 
called,  under  the  providence  of  God,  at  a  most  auspicious  and 
critical  time  to  a  responsible  but  noble  field  of  labor.  I  trust 
and  believe  you  will  love  and  become  endeared  to  the  people 
of  Kentucky  ;  you  are  precisely  the  bishop  we  need  and  de- 
mand.    The  work  may  be  laborious,  but  God  will  give  us  the 


278  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

increase.  In  these  days  of  extravaganzas  in  Ritualism  we 
want  a  father  in  God  whose  warm  heart,  sound  judgment, 
and  simple  exposition  of  the  Gospel  is  only  exceeded  by  his 
unfaltering  devotion  and  fearless  orthodoxy  to  its  precious 
truths. 

"  Mrs.  S joins  me  in  kind  and  cordial  greetings  to 

Mrs.  C and  yourself,  and  I  beg  you  to  accept  the  assur- 
ance of  that  warm  regard  with  which  I  am, 

''Very  truly  yours,  J.  W.  Stevenson." 

We  give  extracts  from  a  letter  written  by 
Bishop  Green,  of  Mississippi,  and  Chancellor  of  the 
University  of  the  South  : 

"  University  Place,  Tenn.,  January  16,  1867. 
"  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  JD.D.  : 

"  My  Dear  Sir  :  It  has  been  my  intention  ever  since 
your  consecration  to  write  you  a  letter,  not  of  congratulation, 
but  of  brotherly  welcome  to  the  arduous  and  responsible 
labors  of  the  Episcopate.  A  multiplicity  of  other  and  more 
pressing  demands  upon  my  time  has  prevented  my  doing  so 
until  the  present  moment. 

"  Let  me  now,  therefore,  if  it  be  not  too  late,  assure  you, 
my  good  brother,  of  my  confidence  in  you,  and  of  my  hearty 
prayers  for  your  happiness  and  usefulness.  You  have  a  noble 
field,  and  I  believe  you  will  work  it  well.  .  .  .  The  next 
meeting  of  our  Board  of  Trustees  will  be  at  Montgomery,  on 
the  13th  February.  Can  you  not  be  with  us  ?  Your  presence 
as  a  mere  visitor  and  well-wisher  would  be  highly  gratifying  to 
us  all.  .  .  .  Do  come,  if  you  can.  I  have  written  a  similar 
invitation  to  Bishop  Smith. 

' '  Affectionately  your  brother  in  Christ, 

"  W.  M.  Green." 

Bishop  Cummins  returned  to  Chicago  early  in 
December,  and,  as  we  have  said  before,  passed  some 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  279 

weeks  with  his  former  charge,  preaching  for  them 
regularly  twice  on  Sundays,  and  holding  services  in 
the  week.  This  he  felt  was  due  to  the  people  of  Trin- 
ity Church.  They  had  been  so  generous,  so  liberal, 
so  thoughtful  for  him,  that  he  was  all  the  more 
anxious  to  be  with  them  as  much  as  possible  while 
they  were  without  a  pastor.  January  ist,  1867,  he 
with  his  family  returned  to  Louisville,  where  they 
remained  with  kind  and  most  hospitable  friends  until 
the  latter  part  of  February,  the  bishop  meantime 
filling  all  his  appointments.  In  February  he  accom- 
panied his  wife  and  daughters  to  Baltimore.  Up  to 
the  second  week  in  May  he  was  occupied  with  visita- 
tions through  the  diocese.  The  first  of  April  his 
family  went  to  Virginia,  to  be  with  the  parents  of  his 
wife.  We  have  before  us  letters  of  Bishop  Cum- 
mins written   during  the  months  of   May  and  June. 

The  first  is  dated 

"Covington,  Ky.,  May  26,  1867. 

"  I  preached  and  confirmed  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  New- 
port, this  morning,  and  officiate  at  Trinity  Church,  Coving- 
ton, to-night.     Rev.  Mr.  M called  to  take  me  to  confirm 

a  sick  person  before  the  morning  service.  .  .  .  The  con- 
gregation w^as  large,  and  I  confirmed  eighteen  persons.  This 
makes  sixty-eight  persons  confirmed  in  this  church  since  Jan- 
uary last.  The  Convention  meets  in  St.  Paul's,  Louisville. 
Rev.  Mr.  W has  been  elected  Assistant  Bishop  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  has  not  yet  decided  to  accept.  I  hope  for  Vir- 
ginia's sake  he  will  go,  as  I  think  he  is  just  the  man  for  the 
diocese. 

"  May  27. — Preached  last  night  in  Trinity  Church,  Cov- 
ington, to  an  immense  congregation,  and  confirmed  twenty- 
three  persons,  making  in  all  fifty-six  in  this  church  since 
January  last.     The  prospect  before  us  in  the  diocese  seems 


280  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

very  encouraging  :  all  are  impressed  with  the  record  of  my 
work  for  the  past  six  months,  and  we  have  now  entire  har- 
mony. Bishop  Smith  has  appointed  Thursday  as  the  day  for 
the  Convention  sermon  and  communion,  as  it  is  Ascension 
Day.  Wednesday  will  be  devoted  to  business.  .  .  .  Bear 
me  ever  in  your  heart  in  prayer.  ...  I  desire  to  cultivate  a 
spirit  of  unity  and  harmony  among  the  congregations.  I  shall 
strive  to  bring  the  whole  diocese  into  perfect  harmony  in  our 
great  work  of  extending  the  Church  throughout  the  State." 

"Louisville,  May  29,  1867. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  this  morning  the  Convention  assembled 
and  tried  to  organize,  but  the  question  was  started  of  the  con- 
stitutionality of  the  bishop's  call,  and  a  lively  discussion 
sprang  up,  lasting  until  eleven,  the  hour  for  service.  At 
eleven  o'clock  I  preached  the  Convention  sermon  :  it  was 
listened  to  with  much  interest.  At  3.30  the  Convention  re- 
assembled.    Bishop  S was  absent  and  I  took  the  chair. 

The  debate  on  the  legality  of  the  bishop's  call  was  very  ear- 
nest, but  at  last  the  Convention  legalized  his  act,  and  thus 
all  trouble  was  avoided.  The  Convention  passed  a  unanimous 
resolution  asking  that  my  sermon  be  given  for  publication. 

"  To-morrow  is  the  day  for  unveiling  the  full  life-size  statue 
of  Henry  Clay,  by  Hart,  and  the  ceremonies  are  to  be  very 
imposing.  Judge  B is  to  deliver  the  address.  The  Con- 
vention has  been  invited,  and  will  go  in  a  body,  and  accord- 
ingly we  meet  at  eight  o'clock  to-morrow  morning  for  service 
and  the  communion,  as  it  is  Ascension  Day,  but  will  have  no 
session  of  the  Convention  until  three  o'clock.  Every  day 
some  new  call  for  my  services  comes  to  me.  I  am  wanted  to 
lay  corner-stones  for  churches  at  Shelbyville  and  Georgetown. 
Rev.  Mr.  T ,  Mr.  C ,  and  Mr.  W wish  confirma- 
tion. I  am  very  lonely  without  my  precious  ones,  and  long 
for  a  home  of  our  own.  On  the  7th  I  go  to  Pewee  Valley, 
on  the  8th  to  Georgetown,  and  on  the  nth  to  Paris." 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  28 1 

At  this  time  Bishop  Cummins  first  met  with  Lyte's 
beautiful  hymn,  "  Abide  with  Me,  fast  falls  the  Even- 
tide," and  writes  thus  of  it  : 

"  I  send  you  this  as  a  Sunday  ni.sj;ht's  breathing  of  my 
own  soul.  May  it  be  yours  and  mine  now  and  always  until 
'  Swift  to  its  close  ebbs  out  life's  little  day.'  Do  try  to  learn 
it,  and  get  L and  S to  learn  to  sing  it  for  me.  Good- 
night. 

He  was  very  fond  of  music,  especially  sacred  mu- 
sic. It  was  his  custom  to  join  with  his  family  in  sing- 
ing in  the  evening  whenever  he  was  at  home.  He  had 
a  correct  ear  for  music,  and  could  readily  catch  any 
tune  which  he  Hked.  His  voice  in  singing  as  well  as 
preaching  was  most  melodious.  Nothing  pleased 
him  more  than  to  gather  around  the  piano  and  sing 
hymn  after  hymn  with  his  home  circle.  Some  of  Mr. 
Bliss's  hymns  were  his  special  delight,  and  also  some 
of  Mr.  Sankey's.  "  The  Sweet  By  and  By,"  "  Oh  ! 
to  be  Nothing,"  "The  Gates  Ajar,"  "The  Ninety 
and  Nine,"  and  many  others  he  never  wearied  of  hear- 
ing. "  Guide  me,  O  thou  great  Jehovah,"  "  Rock 
of  Ages,"  "  Lord,  with  glowing  Heart  I'd  praise 
Thee,"  "  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,"  and  others 
from  the  Praycr-Book  collection  he  dearly  loved  ; 
but  none  were  so  dear  as  the  one  he  so  solemnly  re- 
peated as  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  "  precious  Sa- 
viour "  on  the  portals  of  the  house  not  made  with 
hands. 

Writing  from  Elizabethtown  on  the  3d  of  June, 
he  mentions  his  intention  of  visiting  Henderson  on 
the  loth,  and  says  : 


282  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  Then  I  shall  have  visited  every  parish  in  the  diocese  ex- 
cept one,  Princeton,  in  the  extreme  south-west,  where  I  can- 
not go  at  this  season  of  the  year.  To-night  I  hold  confirma- 
tion here.  To-morrow  I  go  to  Owensboro.  At  Henderson 
we  will  have  several  days'  services,  and  an  ordination  (Whit- 
Sunday)  and  confirmation. 

"  This  bright  warm  afternoon  I  am  reminded  of  the  cot- 
tage and  the  porch,  with  our  improvements,  and  long  to  see 
the  honeysuckle  that  we  trained.  I  am  glad  to  have  some 
time  to  spend  at  the  cottage  before  we  leave  for  the  North, 
for  I  enjoy  the  calm  evenings  there  so  much,  and  I  am  happy 
to  be  able  to  be  with  dear  mother  and  father  to  cheer  them  by 
our  presence.     I  preach  here  and  confirm  a  class.     Since  I 

was  last  here,  Mr.  T ,  the  rector,  has  made  wiY/i  his  own 

hands  a  desk  and  pulpit,  and  they  are  very  tasteful." 

"  Owensboro,  June  6. 
"  The  church  here  is  very  feeble  and  has  no  pastor.     The 
hearts  of  the  people  Avere  almost  ready  to  despair,  but  my  com- 
ing seems  to  have  infused  new  life  into  them.     I  have  con- 
ferred with  the  vestry,  and  they  will  call  a  rector  at  once." 

"  Henderson,  Ky.,  June  7,  1867. 
' '  I  am  now  at  one  of  the  most  distant  points  of  the  dio- 
cese. The  weather  is  intensely  hot  and  very  trying.  We 
were  received  on  reaching  this  place  by  two  of  the  vestry. 
Henderson  is  a  much  more  important  place  than  Owensboro, 
and  we  have  a  tasteful  church  edifice  here,  but  the  church  is 
in  a  low  condition.  I  have  called  the  vestry  to  meet  me  this 
afternoon  to  advise  them  concerning  the  future.  The  pres- 
ent rector  is  very  old,  and  I  shall  advise  them  to  call  a 
younger  man  as  associate  rector.  This  community  reminds 
me  very  much  of  Norfolk — a  quiet  town,  with  a  warm-hearted, 
hospitable  people.  We  have  had  services  every  day  since  I 
arrived,  though  the  heat  is  intense.     Sunday  I  ordained  Mr. 


CONSECRATION  AND   WORK.  283 

Ross  to  the  presbyterate — 7ny  first  ordination.  My  visit  to 
Henderson  has  awakened  great  interest.  When  I  reached  here 
there  were  hvii  four  candidates  for  confirmation,  and  I  con- 
firmed twelve  Sunday  night." 

Almost  immediately  after  completing  his  list  of 
visitations,  Bishop  Cummins  went  to  Virginia,  and 
passed  a  week  at  his  father-in-law's  home.  From 
there,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  daughters,  he 
went  to  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  to  be  present  at  the  Com- 
mencement of  the  Lehigh  University.  There  they 
passed  several  days,  and  enjoyed  greatly  the  inter- 
esting exercises.  From  Bethlehem  they  returned 
to  Baltimore,  and  from  there  went  to  Northampton, 
Mass.,  where  they  spent  the  summer.  In  the  au- 
tumn, Bishop  Cummins  with  his  family  returned  to 
Kentucky. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A  STAND   FOR  THE  TRUTH — 1868. 

"  O  fear  not  in  a  world  like  this, 
And  thou  shalt  know  ere  long — 
Know  how  sublime  a  thing  it  is 
To  suffer  and  be  strong." 

Aged  46. 

VERY  soon  after  he  returned  to  Kentucky  a  coun- 
try home  was  offered  to  Bishop  Cummins,  by 
its  owner,  at  a  moderate  price.  It  was  situated  in 
Pewee  Valley,  sixteen  miles  from  Louisville,  on  the 
railroad  to  Cincinnati,  and  possessed  many  attractions. 
The  congregations  of  Christ's  Church  and  St.  Paul's, 
Louisville,  chiefly  assumed  the  responsibility  of  the 
debt ;  and  the  bishop,  with  a  very  joyful  heart,  set 
about  repairing  the  house  and  grounds,  which  had 
been  allowed  to  fall  into  decay.  Before  the  main 
building  was  ready  for  occupation  he  removed  his 
family  to  "  Oak  Lea,"  and  all  the  winter  they  were 
accommodated  in  the  wing  of  the  house.  Through 
the  generous  liberality  of  friends  and  relatives  in  the 
East,  he  was  enabled  to  make  this  home  comfortable, 
and  a  bright  future  opened  before  him.  Happy  in  his 
work,  blessed  of  God  in  his  labors,  and  with  restored 
strength,  the  winter  of  1867-8  was  one  of  the  brightest 
of  Bishop  Cummins's  life. 


A    STAXD   FOR    THE    TRUTH— \%(iZ.  285 

In  February  he  attended  a  meeting  of  the  House 
of  Bishops,  assembled  in  New  York  on  the  15th,  to 
elect  a  missionary  bishop  for  Oregon.     He  writes  : 

"  Twenty  bishops  were  present,  and  after  balloting  nine 

times  they  elected  Dr.  P .     I  know  him  and  admire  him 

very  much  ;  he  is  a  man  of  beautiful  spirit,  and  full  of  mis- 
sionary zeal,  and  I  know  he  is  utterly  opposed  to  the  school 
of  ritualists  and  Romanizers.     I  doubt,  though,  whether  he 

will  accept.     Bishop  P invited  me  to  dine  with  him,  with 

several  of  the  bishops,  but  I  declined,  as  a  violent  snow-storm 
was  falling.  I  have  not  made  any  calls  yet  upon  our  friends. 
I  wrote  for  G to  come  over  from  Bethlehem  to-morrow. 

''  February  d . — Our  dear  boy  is  with  me:  he  came  last 
night.  I  am  very  happy  to  have  him  ;  it  is  bringing  a  part 
of  home  to  me.  I  am  truly  glad  to  know  that  on  Monday  my 
face  will  be  turned  towards  my  fondly  loved  home  !" 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1868  were  passed  in 
busy  work  throughout  the  diocese,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  visit  to  Chicago,  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  youngest  daughter.  The  country  home  of  Bishop 
Cummins  was  too  attractive  to  permit  of  his  wishing 
to  go  elsewhere,  and  the  entire  summer  was  passed  at 
"  Oak  Lea,"  with  occasional  visits  to  parishes  in  the 
diocese.  When  not  otherwise  engaged  he  preached 
in  some  one  of  the  churches  in  Louisville,  or  in  the 
school-house  in  Pewee  Valley.  Through  the  earnest 
efforts  of  the  bishop,  funds  had  been  raised  to  finish 
a  tasteful  stone  church  in  Pewee  Valley.  This  was 
opened  for  services  in  1869. 

In  August  of  1868,  the  sad  news  reached  them  by 
telegraph  of  the  dangerous  illness  of  Judge  Balch. 
Mrs.  Cummins  was  at  that  time  too  ill  to  leave  her 


286  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

bed,  and  the  bishop  at  once  started  for  Virginia.  He 
writes  ; 

"  On  board  the  Steamer,  August  31,  1868. 

"  It  is  with  a  sad  heart  that  I  turn  my  face  eastward  on 
this  long  journey.  I  have  felt  so  deeply  the  sadness  of  going 
without  you  on  this  sorrowful  mission.  To  feel  that  you  are 
forced  to  keep  your  bed  of  suffering  and  denied  the  happiness 
of  ministering  to  your  father  in  his  illness  is  very  distressing 
to  me.  The  precious  consolation  under  such  a  trial  is  that 
'  it  is  the  Lord's  doing,'  and  though  '  marvellous  in  our  eyes' 
yet  most  assuredly  a  work  of  love,  and  only  to  be  borne  with 

a  spirit  of  cheerful  resignation.     I  said  to  G ,  just  now, 

*  Oh,  that  M ■  was  only  with  us  !' 

"  If  I  find  dear  father  still  in  this  world  1  will  tell  him  of 
all  your  deep  love  and  intense  yearning  to  go  to  him,  and  of 
your  utter  inability  to  travel.  And  if  he  has  gone  to  his  rest, 
I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to  comfort  dear  mother.  My 
thoughts  will  be  continually  with  you,  and  my  prayers  unceas- 
ingly offered  for  you.  May  our  Heavenly  Father  bless  and 
comfort  you." 

The  following  brief  note  tells  the  sad  story  : 

"  Kearneysville,  Va.,  September  2,  1868. 

"  I  have  just  reached  this  place,  and  find  that  dear  father 

is  with  his  Saviour  whom  he  loved  so  well.     All  that  I  can 

learn  here  is  that  he  fell  asleep  on  Saturday,   and  was  laid 

away  to  rest  on  Monday  afternoon.     I  am  going  up  to  the 

cottage   at  once  on  horseback.     Your  brother  L arrived 

last  night  from  Canada,  too  late,  like  myself,  to  see  father  or 
be  present  at  his  funeral.  May  God  be  with  you  and  com- 
fort you  under  your  great  sorrow,  a  sorrow  not  as  those  with- 
out hope. ' ' 


A    STAND  FOR    THE    TRUTH— \%(i%.  287 


In  October,  1868,  Bishop  Cummins  left  his  home 
for  New  York,  to  attend  the  General  Convention. 
On  his  way  he  spent  a  Sunda}^  at  Covington,  Ky. 
From  there  he  writes  : 

"  I  met  in  the  cars  Governor  and  Mrs.  S .  Our  con- 
versation was  chiefly  of  the  great  issues  before  our  Church. 
He  is  very  earnest  in  his  support  of  all  evangelical  interests. 
I  preached  at  Trinity  Church  in  the  morning  from  the  text, 
'  The  simpHcity  that  is  in  Christ,'  2  Cor.  11:3.  It  was  a 
sermon  for  these  sad  times.  I  spoke  with  great  warmth  and 
earnestness  ;  certainly  this  people  will  never  be  in  any  doubt 
as  to  my  position  on  the  vital  questions  at  issue  in  our  Church. 
This  bright  October  afternoon  I  have  been  thinking  how 
lovely  our  home  must  be  looking  under  the  rays  of  a  cloudless 
sun.  I  am  grieved  to  have  to  leave  you  when  suffering  so 
much,  but  if  I  succeed  in  getting  help  for  our  missionary 
churches  from  the  Building  Committee  of  the  '  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society,'  I  will  be  home  sooner  than  you  expect.  I 
preached  again  at  night  from  the  words,  '  My  words  shall  not 
pass  away.'     The  congregation  was  very  large." 

"Baltimore,  October  6,  1868. 
"  I  resume  my  journal.      I  left   Cincinnati  in  company 
with  a  number  of  the  clergy  and  other  friends.      Met  Rev. 

Mr.  C at  Belle  Air,  and  had  a  long  talk  with  him  upon 

the  state  of  the  Church.  I  was  up  in  time  the  next  morning 
to  see  the  destruction  wrought  by  the  great  flood  in  August. 
I  should  scarcely  have  recognized  Ellicott's  Mills  and  Elys- 
ville.  Hundreds  of  workmen  are  still  employed  on  the  deso- 
lated portion  of  the  road.     I  reached  Baltimore  at  nine  o'clock 

A.M.,  and  went  with  Rev.  Mr.  C to  the  hotel,  and  thence 

to  your  sister's.     The  Doctor  drove  me  out  after  dinner  to 

see  Rev.  Dr.  G ,  who  kindly  promised  me  help  for  our 

missionary  churches  ;  then  to  Mr.  R 's,  who  also  promises 


288  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

help  ;  then  to  see  a  number  of  dear  old  friends,  and  the  site 
of  the  new  St.  Peter's,  and  the  design.  It  will  be  very  im- 
posing when  finished.     Mr.  G is  very  happy  about  the 

new  church." 

"  New  York,  October  7,  1868. 

"  We  arrived  here  this  morning  about  seven  o'clock,  and 
went  to  the  Astor  House  for  breakfast  ;  will  go  up  to  Dr. 
B 's  this  afternoon.  All  is  excitement  and  intense  in- 
terest concerning  the  Convention.      Dr.  G showed  me 

several  more  memorials  that  he  had  received  upon  momentous 
subjects,  and  there  is  a  promise  of  stirring  discussion  on  all 
the  great  topics.  We  cannot  doubt  that  God  tvill  take  care  of 
His  truth  j  but  ?ny  stand  is  taken  firmly  on  the  old  evangelical 
basis,  now  and  ever,  and  to  keep  '  this  Church  '  upon  the  platform 
of  the  Reformation. ' ' 

'  "  House  of  Bishops,  October  8,  4  o'clock  p.m.,  1868. 

"  I  am  now  seated  at  my  desk.  We  have  a  beautiful 
room,  fitted  up  with  forty-two  very  tasteful  desks  and  arm- 
chairs. Each  desk  is  furnished  with  a  large  portfolio  with  the 
name  of  the  diocese  on  it,  and  filled  with  paper  and  envelopes. 
The  room  is  very  bright  and  cheerful.  We  have  just  organ- 
ized and  are  attending  to  mere  routine  business.  I  went 
down  to  the  Bible  House  after  writing  to  you,  and  had  an  in- 
terview with  Rev.  Mr.  Rising  concerning  my  application  to 
the  Church  Building  Committee,  and  he  has  arranged  to  have 
a  meeting  of  the  committee  next  Wednesday  to  meet  me. 
To-day  I  introduced  my  resolution  concerning  the  sending  of 
our  children  to  Romish  schools,  and  it  has  awakened  an  ex- 
ceedingly able  and  interesting  debate.  Eleven  bishops  spoke. 
The  debate  is  still  going  on,  has  lasted  two  hours,  and  has 
gone  into  mighty  questions.  I  have  never  listened  to  a  de- 
bate of  more  intense  interest." 


A    STAND   FOR    THE    TRUTH— \Z(>^.  289 

"  New  York,  October  8. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  this  morning  the  bishops  and  clergy  as- 
sembled in  the  two  robing-rooms  of  Trinity  Church,  and  after 
robing  went  immediately  into  the  chancel — no  procession  ex- 
cept one  following  the  other.  There  were  no  choristers.  All 
had  evidently  been  arranged  by  the  advice  of  Bishop  Mc- 
Ilvaine  and  others  who  think  with  him.  The  chants  were 
sung  by  a  company  of  clergymen  from  the  gallery.  Bishoi) 
A.  Lee  preached  a  magnificent  sermon,  utterly  condemnatory 
of  all  modern  innovations,  and  especially  the  doctrine  of 
priesthood,  sacrifice,  and  altar.  We  thank  God  most  heartily 
for  this  noble  utterance.      I  preach  in  the    Church  of  the 

Atonement  on  Sunday,  i8th.      I  am  staying  at  Dr.  B 's, 

who  belongs  to  Calvary  Church.  The  family  are  very  kind 
and  attentive,  and  I  am  most  pleasantly  situated.  At  nine 
o'clock  I  went  to  a  reception    of  the  bishops  and  clergy  at 

Bishop  P 's.      There  I  met  many  friends.     Dr.    E 

has  sailed  for  France.     I  had  an  earnest  talk  with  Dr.  H 

and  Dr.  G ,  of  South  Carolina,  concerning  the  errors  in 

our  Church — they  are  thoroughly  with  me. 

"  October  9,  Friday. — After  the  adjournment  of  our  House 
we  had  a  meeting  of  the  Southern  bishops  to  consider  the 
question  of  the  Freedman's  Commission.     After  this  I  walked 

with  Bishop  Johns  to  Mr.   A 's,   to  call  on  Mrs.   J . 

She  made  many  inquiries  about  you.  Immediately  after  din- 
ner I  Avent  to  Calvary  Church  to  hear  Bishop  B preach  in 

behalf  of  missions.     After  the  service  I  went  with  Bishop 

B to  Judge  R 's  reception.    There  was  a  great  crowd 

present.  I  remained  only  a  short  time.  This  morning  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  rose  and  objected  to  the  surpliced  choir  of  boys  at 
the  daily  service  at  Trinity  Chapel.  Some  of  the  Bishops 
favored  it  strongly,  but  finally  it  was  arranged  as  the  evan- 
gelical bishops  wished,  by  withdrawing   the  surpliced  choir. 

I  have  been  unusually  busy  to-day,  and  now  M B is 

waiting  for  me  to  go  to  Dr.  B 's  to  dine.  To-night  the  Board 


290  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

of  Missions  meets  for  business  in  the  Church  of  the  Transfigu- 
ration, and  will  meet  for  a  long  time.  Our  Evangelical  societies 
meet  on  the  20th,  21st,  and  2 2d.     I  am  engaged  to  preach  in 

Grace  Church  next  Sunday  at  Dr.  P 's  urgent  request,  and 

will  make  a  missionary  address  at  St.  Thomas's  the  same  day. 
"  October  10,  Saturday. — Last  night  I  attended  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Board  of  Missions.  You  may  judge  of  my  feelings 
when,  upon  entering  the  church,  I  saw  before  me  in  the 
chancel  an  altar,  with  a  super-altar,  and  on  it  in  the  centre  a 
brass  cross  three  feet  high,  and  two  brass  candlesticks  of  the 
same  height  on  either  side,  with  candles  in  them,  but  unlighted. 
And  just  in  front  of  the  altar  was  the  venerable  Bishop  Mc- 
Ilvaine,  within  a  few  feet  of  what  he  had  all  his  life  so  ear- 
nestly protested  against.  The  feeling  of  indignation  is  gen- 
eral, and  very  great  among  all  evangelical  men,  and  some  will 
not  again  attend  the  meetings  if  they  are  held  in  that  church. 
It  seems  unpardonable  to  have  selected  such  a  place  for  the 
meetings  of  the  Board,  and  thus  compel  us  to  countenance 
the  very  things  we  have  so  earnestly  protested  against  in  the 
declaration  of  the  twenty-eight  bishops.  The  Evangelical 
bishops  hold  a  meeting  to-day  at  two  o'clock  to  consult  to- 
gether upon  these  and  other  vital  issues  before  us.  There  is 
intense  feeling  on  all  sides,  and  every  day  there  are  discus- 
sions bearing  upon  great  questions — such  as  leaving  out  the 
term  '  Protestant  Episcopal, '  and  using  that  of  '  The  Church  ' 
in  the  United  States.  You  see  that  it  touches  vital  points. 
This  morning  I  went  down  to  the  E.   K.  S.  and  met   Dr. 

C ,  Dr.  S ,  Dr.  Sparrow,  and  many  others.     I  learn 

that  the  most  advanced  and  extreme  men  among  the  low 
churchmen  will  not  press  their  own  views  and  plans,  but 
unite  with  us  on  the  great  platform  of  Evangelicism,  and  in 
an  unbroken  front  towards  the  Romanizers." 

"  House  of  Bishops,  October  12. 
' '  Yesterday  I  preached  at  Grace  Church  from  the  words, 


A    STAND  FOR    THE    TRC/T//- 1868.  29 1 

'  The  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you.'     Dr.  T and  Dr. 

C assisted  in  the  services.      After  the  services   Judge 

S and  Mr.  M ,  lay  deputies  from  Virginia,  came  to 

speak  to  me,   also   Mr.   and  Mrs.   Charles  R ,  and  Mrs. 

D ,  from  Norfolk.     But  the  best  news  of  all  is  that  Dr, 

P has  promised  me  two  hundred  dollars  for  the  churches 

in  Kentucky  !  In  the  afternoon  I  went  to  St.  George's 
with  Bishop  Eastburn.     Dr.  Tyng  preached.     I  saw  Bishop 

and  Mrs.  J .     At  seven  I   drove   to  St.  Thomas's  ;  the 

church   was   filled.     I    spoke   with   great  earnestness.     This 

morning   I    met   Rev.    S H.  T ,    jr.,  at   the   Bible 

House;  he  has  promised  me  one  hundred  dollars  ;  so  you 
see  our  little  churches  will  go  up  yet  !  I  shall  not  cease 
my  efforts  to  raise  money,  not  only  for  the  church  in  Pewee 
Valley,  but  for  those  which  I  need  so  much  in  other  places, 
and  for  our  needy  ministers.  I  am  not  afraid  of  getting  f(?o 
much,  for  I  could  use  five  thousand  dollars  for  our  imme- 
diate and  pressing  needs. 

"  This  morning  several  clergymen  and  others,  who  heard 
me  speak  last  night,  have  urged  me  to  take  part  in  the  great 
meeting  to-morrow  night    at    the   Academy  of  Music,    and 

Dr.  has  been  here  to  beg  me  to  deliver  the  same  speech 

as  at  St.  Thomas's.     I  consulted  with   Bishop ,  and  he 

said  '  That  he  would  not  have  the  slightest  difficulty  in  speak- 
ing ;  for  though  he  was  in  active  co-operation  with  the  Amer- 
ican Church  Missionary  Society,  he  continued  to  work  with 
the  Board  of  Missions,  and  he  thought  there  ought  to  be  some 
one  to  speak  for  the  Foreign  Missions  to-morrow  night.' 
Acting  under  his  advice  I  consented.  It  is  intended  to  make 
it  a  great  occasion  ;  two  hundred  singers  are  to  join  in  a  great 
missionary  hymn,  and  other  sacred  music.  The  house  holds 
three  thousand  people.  I  intend  to  dwell  upon  the  memories 
of  Boone  and  Hoffman,  and  on  the  foreign  work  generally. 

Dr.  H came  to  me  this  morning  to  ask  me  to  take  part 

in  a  meeting  in  behalf  of  a  movement  to  provide  an  order,  or 


292  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

body  of  men  as  Evangelists  or  Itinerants,  to  go  into  destitute 
places  to  preach. 

"  October  13,  1868. — Went  last  evening  to  the  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Missions,  and  listened  to  the  reports  of  Bishops 

C and  R ,   read  by  themselves.     Both  reports  were 

very   interesting.      As  we   were   leaving.   Bishop   S ,   of 

P ,  took  my  arm,  and  as  we  walked   together  had  a  most 

earnest  talk  upon  our  position  as  evangelical  men  in  this  crisis. 
He  is  most  decidedly  opposed  to  the  extreme  men,  but  said 
'  he  could  and  would  die  for  the  evangelical  cause. '  I  have 
been  to-day  to  see  about  dear  father's  portrait  and  the  memo- 
rial window.  The  business  before  the  House  was  to  elect  a 
Missionary  Bishop  for  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory. 

"  New  York,  October  14. 

**  Yesterday  I  went  down  at  seven  o'clock  to  the  Academy 
of  Music  and  found  a  vast  audience  filling  the  building  from 
the  floor  to  the  ceiling.  There  are  three  galleries,  and  they 
were  all  crowded  to  the  utmost,  and  on  the  stage  were  several 
hundred  singers  and  a  large  orchestra.  All  the  bishops, 
clergy,  and  laity  of  the  Convention  were  there,  almost  without 
an  exception.  I  send  you  a  programme.  I  spoke  only  fifteen 
minutes.  The  meeting  was  a  great  success,  and  the  music 
very  fine,  especially  the  singing  '  From  Greenland's  icy  moun- 
tains,' and  a  hymn  to  the  tune  of  'Coronation.'  The  solo 
'  Comfort  ye,  my  people,'  was  sung  by  one  of  our  clergy, 
and  with  the  instrumental  accompaniment  was  very  beauti- 
ful. 

"  1.30  P.M. — We  have  just  finished  our  lunch,  and  this  is 
a  very  pleasant  hour  of  the  day,  each  party  ignoring  for  the 
time  all  differences  and  indulging  in  bright  and  even  merry 
intercourse.  I  meet  people  from  almost  every  quarter  of  the 
country,  some  of  them  old  friends  from  Virginia.  I  am  so 
entirely  absorbed  in  my  duties  that  I  can  only  speak  to  them, 
but  have  no  time  for  visiting.     The  question  of  appointing  a 


A    STAND  FOR    THE    TRUTH— iZdZ.  293 

Committee  on  Church  Unity  has  been  discussed,  but  has  met 
with  great  opposition  from  the  high  churchmen. 
"  Love  to  all  in  our  own  dear  home." 

"  House  of  Bishops,  October  16. 

"  Yesterday  called  on  Dr.  and  Mrs.  M ,  they  having 

left  cards  thinking  you  were  with  me.  I  did  not  go  to  Dr. 
Haight's  reception,  nor  to  Governor  Fish's,  on  Monday  night, 
on  account  of  fatigue  from  the  duties  pressing  upon  me.  You 
will  scarcely  understand  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I  am  weary 
to  get  back  to  my  own  quiet  peaceful  home.  The  excitement 
is  so  great  here  that  it  wears  upon  one.  And  yet  we  have 
not  touched  the  great  questions  of  ritualism — all  our  exciting 
debates  have  been  on  the case,  the  question  of  sister- 
hoods, and  surpliced  choirs.      Yesterday  G arrived  ;  he 

is  looking  remarkably  well,  and  is  taller  and  stouter  than  when 

he  left  us  in  September.     To-day  I  took  G to  the  Bible 

House  and  introduced  him  to  many  persons,  and  then  we 
went  to  the  House  of  Bishops,  before  its  organization,  to  let 
him  see  the  room  and  our  arrangements  ;  then  to  the  House  of 
Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  and  went  in  to  see  that  House  in 
session. 

"  October  19,  Monday. — Yesterday  at  ten  o'clock  I  drove 
to  the  Church  of  the  Atonement — Rev.  Mr.  Sabine's.     Mr. 

P read  the  service.     I  tried  to  preach  as  earnestly  and 

faithfully  as  I  could.     In  the  afternoon  I  had  to  bid  G 

farewell,  as  I  had  to  leave  at  four  o'clock  for  Staten  Island. 
He  has  enjoyed  his  visit  very  much.     At  four  Rev.  Mr.  R- 


called  for  me.  There  were  three  of  us  appointed  for  this 
missionary  meeting.  On  reaching  tlie  landing  about  six 
o'clock  we  were  met  by  friends.  After  driving  through  the 
beautiful  grounds  of  my  host,  a  warden  of  St.  John's,  I 
reached  the  house,  the  front  of  which  looked  out  upon  the 
water.  I  could  see  the  distant  light-houses.  The  w^ter 
proved  to  be  the  ocean  itself  ;  for  Mr.  T 's  house  is  be- 


294  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

yond  the  Narrows,  and  the  lights  I  saw  were  those  on  Sandy 
Hook  and  the  Highlands  of  Neversink.  After  tea  we  drove 
to  St.  John's.  We  all  three  made  addresses,  and  the  collec- 
tion was  good,  amounting  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

I  went   to  New  York  this  morning  with  Rev.  Dr.  E ,  and 

had  a  good  deal  of  conversation  on  church  matters.  I  send 
you  a  card  which  has  been  sent  to  each  bishop  this  morning 
in  an  envelope,  and  it  has  awakened  much  surprise  among 
some  of  the  bishops,  who  were  not  aware  of  my  connection 
with   the    American    Church   Missionary   Society.       Bishops 

W and  Q came  to  talk  with  me  about  it.     I  am  glad 

that  henceforth  no  one  will  be  able  to  misunderstand  my  po- 
sition, 

"  October  20,  Tuesday. — This  is  an  important  day  with 
us.  We  have  had  a  report  from  the  '  Committee  on  Memo- 
rials,* consisting  of  Bishops  L ,  J ,  and  C ,  in  re- 
sponse to  the  memorial  of  certain  of  the  low  churchmen,  ask- 
ing for  the  permission  to  use  alternate  forms  in  some  of  the 
offices  in  the  Prayer  Book.  The  committee  reported  that  it 
was  unwise  and  inexpedient  to  attempt  any  such  changes,  and 
their  report  was  adopted.  The  debate  of  the  House  upon  a 
report  of  the  same  committee  upon  a  memorial  sent  by  the 
vestry  of  Rev.  Mr.  T 's  church  asking  for  an  interpreta- 
tion of  the  canon,  and  to  declare  the  mind  of  the  Church 
upon  the  subject,  is  very  earnest.  There  is  not  the  slightest 
probability  of  the  canon  being  repealed,  or  amended  in  any 
way,  but  to  make  //  more  and  not  less  stringent.  This  is  the 
tendency  of  the  whole  current  of  feeling  in  the  Convention. 
All  that  we  can  do  is  to  plant  ourselves  upon  the  Prayer  Book 
as  it  is,  for  thus  we  can  save  any  movement  Homeward  or 
Greekward  by  any  changes  in  the  Prayer  Book.  We  are  sat- 
isfied with  the  Prayer  Book  that  Bishops  Meade,  Griswold, 
and  others  of  like  mind  used  with  entire  satisfaction. ' ' 

At  the  time  these  words  were  written  Bishop  Cum- 


A    STAND  FOR    THE    TRUTH— \^6%.  295 

mins  fully  believed  what  he  then  wrote.  No  charge 
can  with  any  truth  be  made  that  in  all  he  ever  said  or 
did  he  was  not  perfectly  honest.  Just  so  soon  as  he 
believed  otherwise,  the  Church  knew  it.  He  was  thor- 
oughly persuaded  then,  and  years  before  and  after  this 
period,  that  the  errors  which  had  then  crept  into  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  "  must  be  fought  against 
within  her  pale."  It  was  not  until  years  of  untiring 
labor,  of  most  faithful  teaching  had  passed,  and,  with- 
out any  judicial  authority  whatever  in  the  Diocese  of 
Kentucky,  he  saw  these  errors  grow  and  strengthen 
day  by  day,  until  they  no  longer  came  with  stealthy 
tread,  but  were  blazoned  with  all  the  pomp  and 
glitter  of  that  school,  that  he  turned  away  weary  of  a 
struggle  of  five  long  years.  Had  he  possessed  the 
authority,  Ritualism  would  have  been  put  down  in 
Kentucky,  though  it  would  have  still  grown  and 
flourished  in  other  dioceses. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

GENERAL  CONVENTION — Continued. 

"And  His  truth  endureth  from  generation  to  generation." 

Psalm  ioo. 


w 


Aged  46. 

E  resume  Bishop  Cummins's  journal 


"  Immediately  after  dinner  I  went  to  Calvary  Church, 
where  a  meeting  was  held  in  behalf  of  the  Society  for  sending 

out  Evangelists.     We  had  a  spirited  meeting.     Dr.  H is 

the  president  of  the  society,  and  presided.     He  spoke,  as  also 

did  Bishops  N ,    E ,   W ,  and  myself,  as  well  as 

the  Rev.    Mr.    Fox,  of  Durham,    England,  the  biographer  of 

Mr.  Hoffman.     I  hope  Dr.  W will  aid  me  in  my  work  in 

Kentucky.  I  spoke  earnestly  to  him  about  it.  This  morn- 
ing I  went  to  the  Bible  House  and  met  many  friends  ;  from 
thence  with  Mr.  W ,  of  Baltimore,  to  the  communion  ser- 
vice held  in  the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  appointed  as  an 
introduction  to  the  evangelical  meetings  beginning  to-day. 
The  Rev.  B.  Wistar  Morris  was  elected  Bishop  of  Oregon. 

"  October  21,  1868. — I  left  our  House  yesterday  at  four 
o'clock  and  went  down  to  the  business  meeting  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Knowledge  Society.  The  attendance  of  evangelical 
men  was  very  large,  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  At  seven 
o'clock  I  went  to  the  anniversary  exercises  ;  the  services  were 
very  interesting.  Bishop  Mcllvaine  presided,  and  ten 
bishops  were  present.  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  Bishop  Stevens, 
and  the  Rev.  Mr,  K were  the  speakers.     After  the  ad- 


GENERAL    CONVENTION— Continued.  297 


journment  I  met   many  old  friends — Dr.  N ,  Mr.  El- 


and R.  S ,  of  Boston.  Mr.  H 's  case  in  Rhode  Is- 
land is  not  yet  decided,  but  he  is  very  cheerful. 

"  This  morning  the  debate  on  the  subdivision  of  dioceses 
has  been  earnest  and  interesting.  It  is  one  of  the  most  vital 
questions  we  have  to  decide.     We  have  just  had  lunch,  after 

which  I  had  a  very  earnest  interview  with  Bishop ,  with 

regard  to  my  position  towards  the  Evangelical  Societies.  He 
asked  me  if  I  had  thought  of  the  effect  upon  some  of  the  lead- 
ing men  in  Kentucky.  I  told  him  '  yes,'  that  I  had  counted 
the  cost,  that  I  had  acted  from  an  urgent  necessity  laid  upon 
me  to  give  all  my  influence  in  favor  of  the  Protestant  element 
in  our  Church,  and  to  resist  the  mighty  tide  of  error  in  our 
midst  tending  towards  Rome.  The  interview  was  perfectly 
friendly  and  cordial,  but  very  decided  on  my  part.  I  know 
very  well  I  shall  have  to  bear  reproach  for  the  stand  I  have 
taken,  but  I  am  not  troubled  by  this.  I  believe  I  am  stand- 
ing for  the  defence  of  the  precious  truth  of  the  Gospel,  now 
so  sadly  imperilled  in  our  own  Church  by  the  growth  of  false 
doctrine.  Our  time  on  earth  is  short,  and  all  our  influence 
— so  fleeting — is  but  an  atom  to  be  given  to  our  Master." 

On  Wednesday,  October  21,  Bishop  Cummins  de- 
livered an  address  before  the  American  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society,  which  was  a  reply  to  Dr.  Ewer's  three 
sermons  entitled,  "  Protestantism  a  Failure."  It  was 
printed  in  the  American  Church  Missionary  Society's 
Register  of  December,  1868,  in  full.  We  quote  a 
few  sentences  : 

"  We  are  conscious,  profoundly  conscious,  of  the  vital 
issues  now  pressing  upon  us.  We  whose  heritage  is  this  Re- 
formed Church  of  Christ,  feel  in  the  depths  of  our  souls  that 
we  are  passing  through  a  crisis — solemn,  momentous,  awful — 
and  you  will  bear  with  me  while  I  add  my  voice  in  defence  of 


298  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

all  that  the  Reformers  of  England  in  the  sixteenth  century 
bequeathed  to  us  as  our  heritage  and  the  heritage  of  our  chil- 
dren. Within  a  short  distance  of  where  we  are  assembled,  a 
course  of  sermons  has  been  preached  to  prove  Protestantism 
a  failure  ;  and  that  by  one  who  in  the  most  solemn  hour  of 
his  life  made  this  declaration  :  '  I  do  solemnly  declare  that  I 
will  conform  to  the  doctrine,  discipline,  and  worship  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.'  I  do  not  wish  to  give  too 
great  importance  to  the  utterances  of  any  one  man  ;  but  this 
sermon  is  but  a  sign  of  the  times,  but  one  indication  among 
so  many,  of  the  deep,  widespread  effort  to  eliminate  from  this 
Church  her  distinctively  Reformed  or  Protest.int  character,  and 
to  place  her  where  she  stood  before  the  Reformation,  defiled 
by  the  corruptions  of  mediaeval  times. 

"  Three  memorable  attempts  have  been  made  within  the 
last  three  hundred  years  to  subvert  the  work  of  the  Anglican 
Reformers.  The  first  was  in  the  sixteenth  century  ;  the 
second  in  the  seventeenth  ;  the  third  in  the  nineteenth. 
The  first  was  an  attempt  by  force  ;  the  second  by  fraud  ;  the 
third  by  treachery." 

The  address  was  printed  in  full  in  several  of  the 
New  York  secular  papers,  and  awakened  great,  in- 
terest and  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  those  in  sym- 
pathy with  Bishop  Cummins,  and  indignation  and 
condemnation  from  the  High  church  and  Ritualistic 
party.  The  following  letter  was  received  from  Rev. 
Dr.  S.  H.  Tyng,  senior  : 

"  Irvington,  Friday,  October  23,  1868. 
"  My  Dear  Friend  and  Brother  :  May  God  be  praised 
for  your  fidelity  to  Christ  and  His  truth  on  Wednesday  even- 
ing. Eternity  alone  can  unfold  the  strength  and  confidence 
you  were  made  the  means  of  imparting  to  many  of  your 
brethren  in  the  younger  ministry.     It  was  a  noble  testimony. 


GENERAL    CONVENTION— Contimied.  299 

worthy  of  the  brightest  and  boldest  of  the  great  Reformers — 
and  all  the  saints  of  God  will  thank  you  for  it.     .     .     . 

"  We  were  all  very  sorry  to  feel  the  necessity  of  the  ab- 
sence of  our  beloved  friends  in  the  Episcopate  yesterday. 
We  had  a  glorious  assembly  and  occasion — in  its  spirit,  its 
celebration,  and  its  influence.  .  .  .  The  brethren  will 
go  home  wonderfully  encouraged  and  cheered  by  all  that  they 
have  heard  and  seen. 

"The  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you,  and  prosper  you 
much  in  your  important  and  arduous  work. 

"  Your  faithful  friend  and  brother, 

"  Stephen  H.  Tvng. 
"  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Cummins." 

We  quote  from  a  leading  newspaper  printed  in 
New  York  at  the  time  : 

"  Bishop  Cummins,  of  Kentucky,  appears  before  the 
American  Church  Missionary  Society  in  noble  and  fearless 
advocacy  of  evangelical  truth,  and  in  defence  of  the  Protest- 
antism for  which  the  Reformers  braved  the  fires  of  martyr- 
dom. The  noble  words  of  Bishop  Cummins  and  of  other 
clergymen  thrilled  us  as  we  listened.  May  God  bless  them 
and  make  them  strong  in  His  might." 

On  the  23d  October,  Bishop  Cummins  went  to 
Peekskill,  on  the  Hudson,  and  preached  in  behalf  of 
missions.  On  the  24th  he  returned  to  New  York  and 
writes  thus  : 

"  I  agree  with  you  that  we  have  done  but  little  touching 
vital  questions.  We  have  made  the  new  dioceses  in  New 
York  and  Maryland  ;  we  have  passed  a  Canon  prohibiting  our 
clergy  from  marrying  divorced  persons  ;  we  have  refused  to 
make  any  changes  in  the  Prayer  Book  to  suit  the  views  of  low 


300  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

churchmen  on  the  one  side,  and  of  those  who  wish  to  change 
the  Nicene  Creed  on  the  other  ;  we  have  refused  to  change 
the  Canon  which  brought  about  the  Tyng  trial,  and  it  stands 
just  as  it  did  before  ;  we  have  refused  to  alter  the  Canon 
concerning  the  officiating  of  other  than  our  own  ministers  in 
our  churches.  This  Convention  will  prove  an  era  in  my  life, 
and  may  decide  the  whole  future  of  my  career.  May  God 
overrule  it  for  His  glory  and  the  advancement  of  His  pre- 
cious truth." 

On  the  evening  of  October  25th,  at  the  urgent  re- 
quest of  many  friends,  Bishop  Cummins  repeated 
his  address  on  "  The  Protestantism  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,"  in  the  Church  of  the  Incarnation. 
It  was  printed  in  pamphlet  form  for  extensive  circula- 
tion.    The  following  is  a  notice  of  the  meeting  : 

"  On  Sunday  evening,  October  25th,  the  Church  of  the 
Incarnation,  Rev.  Dr.  Montgomery's,  corner  Madison  Avenue 
and  Thirty-fifth  Street,  was  filled  by  a  vast  audience  to  listen 
to  an  address  from  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins,  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Kentucky,  in  defence  of  the  principles  of  the  Eng- 
lish Reformation,  now  so  imperilled  in  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  England  and  the  United  States.  Many  of  the  most  prom- 
inent laymen  of  different  Episcopal  churches  of  this  city  were 
present,  and  a  large  number  of  clerical  and  lay  deputies  to 
the  General  Convention  now  in  session." 

In  a  letter  dated  October  27,  he  writes  : 

"  How  unspeakably  comforting  your  words  are  to  me  in 
the  stand  that  I  have  taken  for  evangelical  truth  and  Protest- 
ant principles  in  our  Church.  I  am  greatly  impressed  with 
what  you  say  of  the  beauty  of  '  Oak  Lea. '  I  would  rather 
live  there  than  in  Fifth  Avenue.  I  am  amazed  at  the  growth, 
grandeur,  and  wonderful  wealth  of  this  city,  but  it  is  not  to 


GENERAL    CONVENTION— Coutinued.  3OI 


be  named  by  the  side  of  a  home  like  ours,  amidst  the  peace, 
the  purity,  the  refreshing,  elevating  influences  of  God's  works 
in  nature.     But  to  continue  my  journal.     At  4.30  I  returned 

to  Dr.  B 's  to  correct  my  address  for  the  press.     It  is 

something  that  I  shall  be  glad  for  my  children  to  read  in  after 
years,  as  a  testimony  of  my  fidelity  to  the  principles  of  the 

Reformation.     I  had  a  visit  from  Mr.  ,  who  is  at  the 

General  Theological  Seminary.  He  came  to  speak  of  things 
at  the  seminary  that  were  most  distressing  to  him  as  showing 
a  leaning  towards  Romanism.  The  facts  he  stated  to  me 
ought  to  be  brought  out  in  our  House  ;  but  I  have  been  so 
prominent  already  on  the  Protestant  side  that  my  moving  in 
such  a  matter  may  be  considered  offensive.  The  House  of 
Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  have  at  last  before  them  to-day  the 
subject  of  Ritualism.  Two  reports  are  before  them,  both 
good,  but  the  minority  report  is  much  stronger  and  more  de- 
cided in  condemning  things  by  name.  The  majority  report, 
however,  will  certainly  pass.  This  morning  I  met  Rev.  Mr. 
Fox,  from  England,  at  the  Bible  House  :  he  promised  to  send 
me  interesting  documents,  and  to  write  me.     We  went  to  see 

Dr.  D ,  concerning  the  publication  of  his  memoir  of  Mr. 

Hoffman,  and  of  my  memoir  of  Mrs.  H ,  by  the  Evan- 
gelical Knowledge  Society.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the 
American  Church  Missionary  Society  desire  me  to  lay  before 
them  the  wants  of  the  diocese.  They  will  appropriate,  as  far 
as  they  are  able,  a  sum  to  meet  my  needs,  or  rather  needs  for 
the  work.  This  is  very  generous,  and  I  am  much  encouraged. 
I  go  to-night  to  Englewood,  and  from  thereto  Smyrna,  Del., 

to  perform  the  marriage  ceremony  for  F . 

"  The  lower  House  shirked  most  sadly  the  responsibility 
concerning  Ritualism,  but  the  '  pastoral  letter  '  was  very  de- 
cided, and  for  this  we  are  very  thankful.  Moreover,  an 
evangelical  bishop  was  elected  for  Nevada — Rev.  Mr.  Whit- 
taker,  a  missionary  in  that  country.  The  closing  service  was 
in  Calvary  Church,  and  Bishop  Smith  read  the  pastoral  letter. " 


302  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

At  the  close  of  the  General  Convention  Bishop 
Cummins  accepted  an  invitation  from  his  friend,  Rev. 

Dr.   N ,  of  Boston,  to  make  him  a  visit.     From 

there  he  writes  : 

' '  The  weather  was  so  inclement  that  I  was  unable  to  see 
any  thing  of  Boston  except  the  centre  of  the  city.  I  went  out 
to  see  Church's  painting  of  Niagara,   and  was  most  deeply 

impressed  with  it.     We  dined  at  Mr.  S 's,  where  I  met 

Rev.   C.  G .     Our  conversation  was  chiefly  about  their 

visit  to  the  East  in  1866-7.  They  went  as  far  as  Jerusalem. 
On  returning  to  New  York  I  learned  that  the  Evangelical 
Knowledge  Society  are  about  to  print  five  thousand  copies 
of  my  address  at  the  Church  of  the  Incarnation.  Friday  I 
go  on  to  Baltimore,  and  Saturday  to  Washington,  and  Monday 
start  for  home. ' ' 

In  a  letter  written  November  5,  1868,  Bishop 
Cummins  tells  of  meeting  again  his  old  friend,  Dr. 
Durbin  : 

"  At  six  o'clock  I  dined  by  special  invitation  with  Dr. 
Durbin,  who  you  know  was  President  of  Dickinson  College 
when  I  was  a  student.  ...  I  have  been  greatly  blessed 
in  my  efforts  to  secure  help  for  my  poor  churches  in  Ken- 
tucky." 

The  following  Sunday  was  spent  in  Washington  ; 
he  was  the  guest  of  a  dear  friend  and  former  parish- 
ioner, and  preached  morning  and  night  in  Trinity 
Church,  On  Monday  he  turned  his  face  homeward, 
accompanied  by  the  widowed  mother  of  his  wife,  who 
passed  the  winter  with  them.  The  effect  of  Bishop 
Cummins's  course  in  the  General  Convention  upon  the 
leading  men  of  his  diocese  was  twofold — his  work 


GENERAL    CONVENTION— Continued.  303 

suffered  in  a  degree,  and  he  was  personally  made  to 
feel  that  he  could  no  longer  expect  sympathy  or  kind- 
ness from  some  of  those  who  only  two  years  before 
had  so  warmly  welcomed  him  to  Kentucky.  His 
home  was  sold  in  the  spring  of  1870,  the  promises  of 
assistance  in  purchasing  it  having  been  withdrawn,  and 
he  had  no  means  of  his  own  beyond  the  salary  of  four 
thousand  dollars,  which  he  received, out  of  which  all  his 
travelling  expenses  had  to  be  paid.  "  Oak  Lea"  was 
sold  to  the  highest  bidder  for  the  sum  originally  asked 
for  it,  and  all  the  cost  of  improvements  was  lost.  In 
the  spring  of  1870  the  Diocesan  Convention  passed  a 
resolution  offering  to  purchase  the  place  as  an  episco- 
pal residence  ;  but  it  was  then  too  late  to  accept  the 
offer.  Bishop  Cummins  having  made  all  his  arrange- 
ments to  reside  with  his  son-in-law,  who  had  offered 
to  build  a  house  for  their  joint  occupancy. 

To  leave  this  home,  where  every  tree  and  shrub 
and  flower  was  endeared  to  him,  and  to  which  he 
ever  returned  after  the  weariness  of  travel,  and  the 
trials  and  cares  of  his  office,  to  rest  within  peacefid 
Avails,  was  a  trial  none  can  fully  understand.  But  the 
loss  of  his  home,  the  averted  look  of  some  he  knew  so 
well,  the  bitter  taunts  and  unkind  spirit  manifested 
by  others,  and  the  unwillingness  of  some  of  the  clergy 
to  allow  him  to  officiate  in  their  churches,  made  no 
difference  to  one  who  walked  so  closely  with  his  God. 
He  ever  met  all  with  the  same  loving  smile  and  the 
same  warm  clasp  of  the  hand,  and  felt  towards  each 
the  same  friendly  feeling.  Not  the  slightest  differ- 
ence was  allowed  to  appear  in  his  manner,  for  he  had 
taken  the  noble  stand  for  Avhat  he  believed  to  be  the 
truth,  and  the  suffering  of  this  present  time  was  not 


304  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS.       ■ 

to  be  compared  with  the  peace  and  joy  which  possessed 
his  soul.  As  earnestly,  as  faithfully  as  ever  he  labored 
for  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  Kentucky, 
making  no  difference  whatever  between  high  and  low 
churchmen,  so  far  as  kindly  aid  and  ready  sympathy 
went.  But  while  treating  every  one  with  Christian 
courtesy  and  love  he  suffered  intensely,  and  nothing 
but  the  conscious  presence  of  his  Saviour  and  the  daily 
strength  given  by  Him,  enabled  him  to  bear  the 
trials  of  that  sad  winter.  Before  this  time  of  sorrow 
came  to  the  little  home-circle  at  ' '  Oak  Lea, ' '  Bishop 
Cummins  writes  thus  cheerfully  : 

"  Bowling  Green,  Ky.,  November  19,  1868. 

"  It  is  hard  to  realize  that  I  am  again  away  from  you  and 
my  home,  now  dearer  than  ever.  I  can  only  return  unceasing 
thanks  to  God  for  such  a  home,  such  a  family,  and  all  my 
blessings.  May  I  be  able  to  consecrate  my  life  more  entirely 
to  God,  and  the  advancement  of  his  own  sacred  truth  in  his 
Church  ! 

"  The  memories  of  those  few  days  spent  at  home  are  very 
sweet — no  words  can  tell  how  dear  they  are.     Yesterday  I 

met  Rev.  Mr.  P ,  and  we  talked  of  the  meeting  of  the 

Convocation,  and  our  anniversaries  in  Louisville.  A  letter 
has  been  received  from  Mr.  Parvin  changing  their  programme. 
They  will  put  off  their  meetings  in  Cincinnati  and  Chicago 
until  I  can  be  with  them. 

"  I  reached  this  place  at  twelve  o'clock  last  night,  having 
left  Louisville  at  six  a.m.  It  was  a  long  and  tedious  ride.  I 
cannot  tell  you  my  deep  gratification  at  finding  a  comfortable 
brick  church  here,  completed,  where,  two  years  ago,  we  wor- 
shipped in  a  little  school-house.  It  is  a  tasteful  building, 
and  the  interior  really  beautiful  and  so  church-like.  I  am 
more  than  repaid  for  what  I  have  done  for  the  people  of  our 


GENERAL   CONVENTION— ConHnued.  305 

Church  in  this  place,  and  rejoice  over  the  good  work.     We 
had  services  last  night,  and  again  this  morning,  and  will  have 

another  service  this  afternoon.      Rev.  Mr.  R is  with  me, 

besides  Mr.  C . " 

In  another  letter,  written  from  Paris,  Ky.,  dated 
December  9th,  he  tells  of  a  visit  to  Lexington  and 
Cynthiana  ;  from  these  places  he  went  on  to  Paris, 
where  he  preached  and  confirmed. 

"  The  congregation  at  Cynthiana  was  an  excellent  one 
notwithstanding  the  severely  cold  weather.  We  left  Cynthiana 
at  nine  o'clock  and  reached  here  in  an  hour.  I  am  at  the 
rectory.  To-morrow  I  go  to  Cincinnati,  on  my  way  to  Mays- 
ville.  I  see  by  the  Cincinnati  papers  that  thirty-five  bodies 
have  been  brought  to  the  city,  and  I  have  telegraphed  to  keep 
them  until  I  reach  there  to-morrow,  that  I  may  inspect  them. 
I  have  great  hopes  of  securing  the  remains  of  our  dear  breth- 
ren, and  have  so  written  to  our  friends  in  Philadelphia." 

The  reader  will  remember  the  fearful  accident 
which  occurred  in  December,  1868,  on  the  Ohio 
River.  Two  steamers  collided,  and  almost  all  on 
board  were  lost,  among  them  two  young  clergy- 
men, the  Rev.  Mr.  Rising  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parvin, 
who  were  on  their  way  to  Louisville  to  hold  mission- 
ary meetings.  Bishop  Cummins  concludes  this  letter 
with  the  following  sentences  : 

"  In  Mr.  Rising's  pamphlet,  '  Romanizing  Germs  in  the 
Prayer  Book  ' — for  he  wrote  it — he  has  this  forcible  remark 
concerning  the  Reformers,  which  is  now  strikingly  applicable 
to  himself  and  Mr.  Parvin  :  '  When  Death  knocked  at  the 
door  of  the  studio  where  these  diligent  sculptors  were  at  work, 
they  dropped  their  chisels,   took  a  last  fond  look  at  their 


306  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

nobly-conceived  but  half-wrought  statue,  and  making  speed 
to  obey  the  summons  which  was  of  God,  left  that  statue  to  be 
finished  in  perfect  symmetry  by  other  hands.'  Could  any- 
thing be  more  beautiful  or  more  descriptive  of  them  and  their 
work  ?  I  will  write  you  of  my  success  in  finding  the  bodies. 
Winter  has  set  in  early  ;  it  is  as  cold  as  January,  and  heavy 
snow-storms  are  occurring  in  the  East  and  North-west.  I  shall 
go  to  Covington  to-morrow,  and  Saturday  to  Maysville." 

The  Christmas  joy  that  came  to  the  household  at 
"  Oak  Lea"  knew  no  abatement,  despite  the  threaten- 
ing trials  that  soon  overshadowed  it.  All  were  together. 
The  dearly  loved  grandmother,  the  father  and  mother, 
the  dear  student  at  home  for  the  holidays,  the  minis- 
tering child,  who  carried  so  willingly  the  duties 
which  belonged  of  right  to  the  house-mother,  and  the 
"  wee  bairn,"  the  pet  of  the  house — all  gathered 
around  the  Christmas-tree,  welcoming  to  its  gladness 
the  stranger  from  afar,  who  was  so  soon  to  be  one  of 
their  circle.  It  Avas  a  bright,  happy  time.  Since 
then  they  have  never  all  met  again.  The  memory 
of  those  hours  of  gladness  that  never  came  again  will 
keep  green  with  those  Avho  remain,  until  the  glory  of 
the  new  Jerusalem  will  break  upon  their  sight. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

CORRESPONDENCE    WITH    BISHOP    WHITEHOUSE — 1 869. 

"  I  have   not  departed  from  Thy  judgments  :  for  Thou   hast  taught 
me. ' ' 

Aged  47. 

ON  the  2d  of  January,  1869,  Bishop  Cummins  re- 
ceived the  following  letter  from  Bishop  White- 
house  : 

"  Chicago,  December  31,  1868. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  An  effort  has  been  recently  made 
in  this  city  to  establish  a  society  entitled  '  For  the  Promotion 
of  Evangelical  Religion  in  the  North-west.' 

"  I  am  obliged  to  regard  this  as  a  movement  designed  to 
disturb  my  diocese,  and  factious  in  its  character. 

"  I  am  informed  that  a  general  meeting  has  been  an- 
nounced to  take  place  in  Trinity  Church,  and  that  you  are  ex- 
pected to  take  a  prominent  part  in  it. 

"  Under  the  impression  that  this  may  be  so,  I  venture  to 
express  my  hope  that  you  will  decline  to  give  it  the  sanction 
of  your  presence  ;  or  in  any  way  connect  your  influence  and 
office,  within  the  charge  of  a  brother  bishop,  with  a  movement 
which  he,  in  common  with  the  large  majority  of  the  diocese, 
deemed  schismatical  and  injurious.  You  are  satisfied,  I  am 
sure,  from  the  past,  that  you  would  be  at  any  time  a  welcome 
visitor  in  Chicago,  and  honored  in  its  pulpits.     But  as  pre- 


308  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

siding  over  or  connected  with  such  a  meeting  as  the  one  pro- 
jected, your  visit  would  be  misconstrued  and  hurtful. 

"  Faithfully,  your  friend  and  brother, 

"  Henry  J.  Whitehouse, 

"  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins,  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky.'' 

On  the  receipt  of  this  letter  Bishop  Cummins  at 
once  wrote  to  Bishop  Mcllvaine  and  other  friends, 
seeking  advice  from  them.  The  following  is  Bishop 
Mcllvaine's  reply  : 

"Cincinnati,  January  7,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  received  your  note  and  its 
three  copies  of  letters,  and  am  ready  to  give  my  opinion. 
I  wish,  with  you,  that  the  society  had  been  made  auxiliary  to 
one  of  our  general  Evangelical  societies. 

"  But  they  have  a  right  to  establish  such  a  society,  no 
matter  what  bishop  may  object.  For  you  to  go,  after  his 
letter,  would  be  unpleasant,  to  be  sure  ;  but  I  think  should 

Bishop  W gain  his  point  in  this — whether  it  be  yielded 

on  grounds  of  principle  or  only  of  courtesy — we  should  inau- 
gurate a  claim  which  would  have  no  end.     Now  the  request 

of  Bishop  W is  a  claim,  and  intended — that  for  the  sake  of 

making  it  less  objectionable  he  puts  in  the  form  of  a  request — 
that  you  have  no  right  to  come  into  his  diocese  for  such  purpose. 
The  claim  is  made  the  more  offensive  because  of  its  calling  the 
movement  '  factious  ' — that  is,  because  it  is  contrary  to  his 
will — and  '  schismatical '  and  '  injurious,'  because  it  is  not  in 
the  interests  of  such  societies  as  he  considers  Church.  Now 
let  us  think  what  would  be  our  position  should  we  even  seem 
to  yield  to  such  claims.  First.,  We  should  seem  to  allow  the 
factiousness  and  schismatical  nature  of  the  society  in  question. 
Secondly.,  Bishop  Potter  could  as  well  object  to  our  advocacy 
in  New  York   of  the  three  Evangelical  societies,  or  any  other 


CORRESPONDENCE— 1869.  309 

he  might  not  like.  Bishop  Whitehouse  could  as  well  forbid 
me,  or  you,  or  any  clergyman  going  into  Illinois  for  a  day, 
and  preaching  for  any  clergyman,  or  speaking  for  any  cause. 
When  recently  a  clergyman  from  Nashotah  was  here — and  he 
may  be  here  yet — calling  on  people  of  my  diocese  for  subscrip- 
tions to  Nashotah,  I  might  just  as  reasonably  have  forbidden 
him.  What  would  Bishop  Whitehouse  have  said  ?  There  is 
a  great  principle  of  right  and  freedom  involved,  and  we  must 
not  even  seem  to  give  place  to  such  claims. 

"  My  advice  is  that  you  answer  the  Bishop's  letter  very 
kindly  and  frankly,  stating  that,  however  painful  to  appear  in 
Chicago  under  such  circumstances,  you  cannot  do  any  thing 
which  could  be  construed  into  an  acknowledgment  of  the  right 
claimed,  whether  claimed  on  the  ground  of  law  or  courtesy. 
"  Yours  affectionately, 

"  Charles  P.  McIlvaine." 

Bishop  Cummins  also  wrote  to  Dr.  D ,  of  New 

York.  His  advice  was  "  not  to  go  to  Chicago,"  but 
"  to  write  Bishop  Whitehouse  protesting  against  his 
denunciations  of  the  society,"  "that  the  society  in 
question  had  no  connection  with  any  one  of  the  three 
general  societies. 

A  letter  from  Rev.  Charles  Edward  Cheney,  rec- 
tor of  Christ  Church,  Chicago,  comes  next  in  order 
of  date  : 

"  Chicago,  January  23,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  Yours  of  the  21st  is  at  hand  this 
moment,  and  I  hasten  to  reply.  I  partially  wrote  you  imme- 
diately on  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  12th,  with  its  in- 
closures  ;  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Executive  Committee 
of  our  society  had  held  no  meeting,  I  waited  until  I  could  re- 
port to  you  some  definite  action.  As  there  seems  to  be  such 
determined  opposition  on  the  part  of  Bishop  Whitehouse,  we 


310  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


decided  not  to  hold  a  public  anniversary  meeting.     In  defer- 
ence to  the  views  expressed  by  Bishops  Lee,  of  Iowa,  and  Mc- 

Ilvaine,  yourself,  and  Dr.  D ,  I  proposed  that  we  should 

resolve  ourselves  into  an  auxiliary  to  the  Church  Missionary 
Society.  But  this  met  with  hardly  any  favor,  especially  with 
the  working  lay  members  of  the  organization.  .  .  .  The 
result  of  our  deliberations  was  substantially  this — to  give  up 
any  attempt  at  a  very  public  demonstration,  but  to  go  to  work 
and  obtain  subscriptions,  enroll  as  many  members  as  we  can 
secure,  and  in  St.  John's  and  Christ  Churches  hold  meetings. 
Both  Dr.  Powers  and  myself  would  feel  that  in  no  way  could 
these  meetings  be  made  so  successful  as  by  your  presence  and 
influence.  At  the  same  time  I  feel  the  delicacy  of  the  position 
which  you  occupy,  and  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  urge  you  against 
your  own  convictions  of  what  courtesy  towards  another 
bishop  or  the  good  of  the  cause  demands. 
"  Affectionately  yours, 

Chas.  Edward  Cheney." 

The  letter  herewith  given  is  from  Bishop  Mcll- 
vaine. 

"Wilmington,  Del.,  January  28,  1869. 
"  Dear  Bishop  :  Conversing  this  morning  with  Bishop  Lee 
about  Bishop  Whitehouse's  letter  to  you — as  to  which  you  wrote 
me — he  called  to  my  remembrance  the  fact  that  about  the  year 
1 84 1  or  1842  there  was  a  similar  case.  Bishop  Hopkins  was 
going  to  Philadelphia,  from  Vermont,  to  deliver  a  lecture  or 
course  of  lectures  on  Romanism.  It  was  a  time  of  consider- 
able excitement  in  Philadelphia  about  Romanism — politically. 
Bishop  H.  U.  Onderdonk  thought  the  lectures  would  increase 
the  excitement,  and  wrote  to  Bishop  Hopkins  strongly  object- 
ing to  his  coming.  Bishop  Hopkins  replied,  and  stood  upon  his 
right  and  argued  it  out,  and  came.  I  wish  that  letter  could  be 
found.     It  was  no  doubt  published  in  the  Recorder.     But  as 


CORRESPONDENCE—  1 869.  3 1 1 

it  applies  exactly  to  your  case  I  have  thought  you  should 
have  it  recalled  to  your  mind. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  Chas.  P.  McIlvaine. 

"  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

A  letter  from  the  Rev.  E,  Sullivan,  then  rector  of 
Trinity  Church,  Chicago,  dated  January  29,  1869, 
reached  Bishop  Cummins  at  this  time.  It  is  a  letter  of 
thanks  chiefly,  as  the  bishop  had  promised  to  occupy 
the  pulpit  of  Trinity  during  Mr.  Sullivan's  absence 
in  Canada,  and  adding  : 

"  I  understand,  however,  that  you  have  decided  to  post- 
pone your  visit  for  the  present,  which,  under  the  circum- 
stances, perhaps,  is  the  wiser  course.  What  the  issue  of  all 
this  will  be,  or  whereto  it  will  grow,  it  is  hard  to  predict. 
May  the  Spirit  of  Wisdom  be  given  to  us  to  direct  us  aright." 

Bishop  Cummins  had  not  replied  to  Bishop  White- 
house's  first  letter,  as  he  wished  to  seek  counsel  of 
his  brethren.  Before  he  had  decided  upon  his  course, 
the  following  letter  reached  him  from  the  Bishop  of 
Illinois  : 

"Chicago,  February  i,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  On  December  31st  I  wrote  you  a 
letter  stating  that  a  society  had  been  originated  in  this  city 
which  I  was  obliged  to  regard  as  a  movement  designed  to  dis- 
turb the  peace  of  my  diocese  and  as  factious  in  its  character. 
I  also  stated  that  a  general  meeting  of  the  same  had  been 
projected  to  take  place  in  Trinity  Church,  and  that  you  were 
expected  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  meeting,  etc. 

"  This  was  written  as  a  private  letter,  and  to  this  day  has 
remained  so,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned  ;  but  I  regret  to  say 
that  no  answer  to  it  has  been  received  from  you,  nor  any  in- 
timation afforded  me  of  your  views  and  intentions. 


312  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"  It  has  been  currently  reported  that  my  letter,  or  copy 
of  it,  in  whole  or  in  part,  has  been  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Cheney,  of  Christ  Church,  and  of  others  in  Eastern  cities  ; 
that  you  wrote  to  Rev.  Mr.  Sullivan  your  intention  to  fulfil 
your  visit,  with  an  offer  to  officiate  for  him  on  Sunday,  the 
17th  ult. ;  it  has  been  reported  through  Chicago  and  elsewhere 
that  I  had  officially  inhibited  you  from  officiating  within  my 
diocese  ;  an  article  in  the  Milwaukee  Sentinel  has  made  an 
abusive  attack  on  me  for  so  doing,  which  article  I  inclose  ; 
that  you  were  telegraphed  by  the  rector  of  Christ  Church  not 
to  come  at  present,  and  in  consequence  of  this  you  did  not 
fulfil  the  intention,  which  you  otherwise  would  have  done,  of 
being  in  this  city  on  Sunday,  17  th  of  January. 

"  Under  the  circumstances  I  think  I  have  a  claim  on  you 
for  an  explanation  of  the  matter,  and  for  some  distinct  assur- 
ance of  the  character  of  any  visit  you  may  make  to  my  juris- 
diction. If  such  a  visit  is  to  be  honorably  regarded  as  an 
indulgence  of  personal  and  social  relations,  you  will  be  most 
welcome.  If  it  is  to  commit  you  to  any  quasi  sanction  of 
partisan  spirit  and  action  in  my  diocese,  I  beg  respectfully  to 
say  that  I  should  regard  it,  after  what  has  passed,  as  a  serious 
breach  of  fraternal  courtesy.  And  if  you  have,  as  rumored, 
consented  to  act,  accredited  by  the  '  American  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  '  or  its  kindred  organizations,  the  exercise  of 
such  agency  will  raise  questions  still  more  serious,  probably, 
in  other  jurisdictions  as  well  as  in  my  own. 

"  Remaining  very  truly  your  friend  and  brother, 

"  Henry  J.  Whitehouse. 
"  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

To  this  letter  Bishop  Cummins  sent  the  following 
reply  : 

"  Pewee  Valley,  Ky.,  Februarys,  1869. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :    Yours    of   the    ist    inst.   has  just 
reached  me,  and  I  hasten  to  give  you  a  plain  statement  of 


CORRESPONDENCE— 1869.  3 1 3 


facts,  which,  I  am  very  sure,  will  relieve  me  of  any  seeming 
want  of  courtesy  toward  you,  and  at  the  same  time  will  con- 
vince you  of  my  earnest  desire  to  promote  the  peace  and  har- 
mony of  the  Church  in  your  diocese. 

"  My  first  invitation  to  go  to  Chicago,  for  the  purpose  of 
addressing  a  public  meeting  in  Trinity  Church,  came  from  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Sullivan,  who  informed  me  that  an  Evangelical 
missionary  society  had  been  organized  in  Chicago,  and  that  I 
was  invited  to  speak  at  its  anniversary  on  the  20th  of  Jan- 
uary. He  did  not  mention  the  official  name  or  title  of  the 
organization,  and  I  concluded  that  it  was  a  society  auxiliary 
to  our  three  great  societies,  viz..  The  Evangelical  Knowledge 
Society,  The  Evangelical  Education  Society,  and  The  Church 
Missionary  Society. 

"Very  shortly  after  Mr.  Sullivan's  letter,  and  after  my 
acceptance  of  the  invitation,  a  second  letter  came  from  Mr. 
Sullivan  telling  me  of  a  visit  of  yourself  to  him,  on  which 
occasion  you  announced  your  purpose  to  oppose  a  prompt 
and  determined  resistance  to  the  society.  The  same  mail 
brought  your  letter  of  December  31st  to  me,  in  which  you 
characterize  the  new  society  as  '  factious  and  schismatical, 
and  designed  to  disturb  the  peace  of  your  diocese,'  and  you 
expressed  your  desire  that  I  should  decline  to  '  lend  the  sanc- 
tion of  my  presence,  or  in  any  way  connect  my  influence  and 
office  with  it.'  This  letter  placed  me  in  a  most  embarrassing 
position.  To  accede  to  your  request  would,  in  my  judgment, 
be  acquiescing,  at  least  seemingly,  in  your  judgment  of  the 
society,  and  condemning  my  brethren,  whose  reputation  is 
very  dear  to  me.  I  could  not  believe  that  such  men  as  Che- 
ney, Sullivan,  and  Powers,  faithful  and  long-tried  presby- 
ters, could  be  guilty  of  designing  to  disturb  your  diocese  or 
of  promoting  schism.  At  the  same  time  it  was  painful  to 
deny  your  request,  especially  in  view  of  the  past  pleasant 
personal  relations  between  us. 

"  I  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  induce  the  brethren 


314  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

connected  with  the  new  society  to  change  their  organization, 
so  as  to  make  it  auxiliary  to  the  three  societies  alluded  to 
above,  and  thus,  as  I  supposed,  to  disarm  all  opposition  from 
you.  Hence  the  long  delay  in  replying  to  your  letter  of  De- 
cember 31st.  I  have  corresponded  with  Mr.  Cheney,  Mr. 
Powers,  and  Mr.  Sullivan  ;  but  up  to  this  time  I  have  had 
no  official  reply  to  my  suggestion.  The  Executive  Committee 
had  appointed  a  meeting  for  the  2d  of  February,  but  I  have 
not  heard  of  their  action.  They  are  aware  that  my  consent 
to  speak  is  held  in  abeyance,  and  depends  very  much  upon  a 
fuller  knowledge  of  the  character  and  aims  of  the  society. 
I  have  not  yet  seen  the  constitution  of  the  society,  and 
only  within  a  few  days  past  have  I  met  with  a  list  of  its  offi- 
cers. Many  of  them  are  known  to  me,  and  command  my  en- 
tire confidence.  From  the  published  opinions  of  one  of  them 
/  differ  most  widely.  I  refer  to  the  articles  i?i  one  of  our  Church 
papers  advocating  and  urging  that  evaneglical  men  should  leave 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.^  because  their  liberty  in  Christ  is 
denied  them  within  the  Church.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  emi- 
nent clergymen  and  laymen  who  are  associated  with  him  in 
this  society  have  any  sympathy  with  his  views  in  this  matter. 
/  am  very  sure  that  they  hold,  ivith  tnyself  and  every  bishop  of 
the  evangelical  school,  that  it  is  our  duty  to  oppose  those  who  seek  to 
divide  the  Church,  as  well  as  those  ivho  seek  to  assimilate  her  to 
the  corrupt  and  idolatrous  communions  of  the  Oriental  and  Papal 
Churches.*  For  myself,  I  love  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  more  fervently  as  life  advances.  To  me  she 
is  the  fair  and  pure  bride  of  Christ,  '  the  glory  of  the  Re- 
formed Churches,'  as  Bishop  Hobart  called  her  in  i8i4in  his 
sermon  before  the  General  Convention  of  that  year  ;  lo5'-al  to 
Christ  and  his  truth  in  her  articles,  offices,  and  homilies,  and 
probably  as  free  from  imperfections  as  a  Church  can  be,  com- 


*  The  italics  are  given  by  the  author  to  draw  attention  to  the  views 
of  Bishop  Cummins  at  that  time. 


CORRESPONDENCE—  I  869.  3  I  5 

posed  of  fallible  men  in  whom  the  work  of  God's  grace  is 
always  incomplete. 

"  The  above  statement,  I  trust,  will  answer  your  call  for 
an  explanation  of  matters  connected  with  your  first  letter.  I 
sent  it  to  Mr.  Cheney,  because  I  deemed  it  right  that  the 
society  should  know  your  feeling  towards  it,  and  as  you  did 
not  mark  it  '  private, '  or  express  a  desire  to  have  it  so  re- 
garded, I  did  not  think  it  a  breach  of  confidence  to  permit 
others  to  read  it.  With  regard  to  my  promise  to  preach  in 
Trinity  Church  on  the  17th  ult.,  it  was  based  on  the  hope 
that  the  society  would  adopt  iny  suggestion  and  hold  a  meet- 
ing then  in  behalf  of  our  general  evangelical  societies.  Mr. 
Cheney's  telegram  was  to  inform  me  that  the  meetings  of  all 
kinds  were  postponed  for  the  present.  Your  letter  of  Feb- 
ruary ist,  however,  raises  a  new  and  more  serious  issue  ;  and 
I  am  deeply  pained  to  find  that  you  have  taken  a  position 
which  my  conscience  compels  me  to  oppose  and  resist.  You 
say,  in  the  concluding  paragraph  of  your  letter  :  '  And  if  you 
have,  as  rumored,  consented  to  act  accredited  by  the  "  Amer- 
ican Church  Missionary  Society,"  or  its  kindred  organiza- 
tions, the  exercise  of  such  agency  will  raise  questions  still 
more  serious,  probably,  in  other  jurisdictions  as  well  as  in 
my  own.' 

"It  is  true,  'as  rumored,'  that  I  have  consented,  or 
rather  promised,  the  societies  alluded  to  by  you  to  go  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Chicago,  and  other  places  to  advocate  their  claims  ; 
and  it  is  my  purpose  to  visit  Chicago  on  Sunday,  February 
2ist,  to  preach  for,  and  ask  offerings  in  behalf  of,  '  The  Amer- 
ican Church  Missionary  Society  '  and  '  The  Evangelical  Edu- 
cation Society, '  both  of  which  have  been  so  sadly  bereaved 
of  their  secretaries  by  the  awful  calamity  on  the  Ohio  River 
in  December  last.  If  I  understand  your  allusion,  my  dear 
Bishop,  it  is  to  raise  a  question  as  to  my  right  to  make  such 
appeals  in  your  diocese.  If  so,  it  involves  a  great  principle 
of  right  and  freedom,   and  I  cannot    give  place   to  such  a 


3l6  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


claim  for  an  instant.  These  three  great  Organizations  are  the 
legitimate  modes  in  which  a  large  portion  of  our  Church  seek 
to  advance  their  principles  and  to  extend  '  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus,'  in  all  honest  loyalty  and  fervent  love  to  the  Church. 
To  deny  them  the  right,  at  all  proper  times  and  places,  to 
propagate  and  extend  these  principles,  is  a  step  fraught  with 
imminent  peril  to  the  welfare  of  the  Church,  and  as  one  who 
would  sacrifice  all  but  Christ's  truth  to  preserve  the  peace  and 
harmony  of  the  Church,  I  earnestly  implore  you  not  to  raise 
such  a  question,  never  before  raised,  and  the  agitation  of 
which  is  to  be  most  deeply  deplored. 

' '  I  am,  ever  most  faithfully  yours, 
"  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky. 
"  Bishop  Whitehouse. 

"  P.S. — To  avoid  misapprehension,  I  think  it  best  to  state 
now,  that  I  shall  feel  at  liberty  to  make  any  use  of  this  cor- 
respondence that  may  seem  desirable,  to  which  I  suppose 
you  have  no  objection.  G.  D.  C." 

The  letter  given  herewith  was  received  by  Bishop 
Cummins  February  7th. 

"  Christ  Church  Rectory,  Chicago,  February  5,  1869. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  Your  letter  of  the  3d  inst.,  inclos- 
ing copies  of  Bishop  Whitehouse's  second  letter  to  you,  and  of 
your  reply,  is  just  received.  ...  In  regard  to  the  new 
society,  there  is  strong  opposition  on  the  part  of  such  lay- 
men as  A.  G.  T ,   G.   S.   H ,  and  others  whom  you 

know,  to  any  change  of  title — a  change  which  I  advocated 
after  I  learned  that  both  Bishop  Mcllvaine  and  yourself  re- 
garded it  as  advisable.  I  proposed  to  make  it  an  auxiliary 
to  the  A.  C.  M.  S.  But  the  main  objection  to  this  was  that 
we  desired  to  make  \\. practically  auxiliary  to  all  three  of  the 
jj,eneral  evangelical  societies.     For  instance,  our  most  liberal 


CORRESPONDENCE—  1 869.  3 1 7 


layman,  Mr.  A.  C ,  desires  to  establish  at  once  an  E.  K. 

S.  Depository,  under  the  auspices  of  the  new  organization, 
and  to  give  a  room  in  his  office  for  the  purpose.  Hence  no 
formal  action  was  taken  toward  changing  the  name  of  the 
society,  but  there  was  perfect  unanimity  in  the  committee 
in  the  opinion  that  our  work  was  to  be  simply  to  act  as  a 
Western  agency,  to  render  more  effective  at  the  West  the 
machinery  of  the  old  societies.  .  ,  .  Bishop  Whitehouse's 
letter  is  characteristic  of  the  man.  .  .  .  But  its  arrogant 
tone  relieves  you,  it  seems  to  me,  of  the  embarrassment  which 
his  previous  request  on  the  score  of  courtesy  may  have  oc- 
casioned. 

' '  Hoping  to  see  you  before  many  weeks,  and  fully  believ- 
ing that  God  will  overrule  all  these  troubles  to  his  own  glory 
and  the  good  of  his  kingdom,  I  am, 

"  Most  faithfully  yours, 

"  Chas.  Ed  WD.  Cheney. 
"  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  Ti.V>.,  Pewee  Valley^  Ky.'' 

Bishop  Mcllvaine  writes  under  date  of 

"Cincinnati,  February  6,  1869. 

"  Mv  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  just  got  home  from  the  East 
and  received  yours  of  the  27th  January,  your  telegram  of 
February  3d,  and  now  comes  your  most  important  commu- 
nication of  February  3d,  inclosing  Bishop  W 's  letter  of 

the  1st  and  your  admirable  answer.     .     .     .     The  position 

taken  by  Bishop  W in  his  letter  of  the  ist  is  bold  indeed, 

and  raises  an  issue  which  if  pushed  by  others  as  well  as  him- 
self would  convulse  and  certainly  divide  our  Church.  It 
must  be  met  at  its  first  appearance.  We  can  have  no  two 
ways  about  it.  If  there  is  to  be  war,  let  us  have  it,  and  let 
those  who  raise  such  pretensions  bear  the  responsibility.  Not 
for  a  moment  must  we  seem  even  to  acknowledge  such  claims. 
I   commend  most  heartily  the  courtesy,   calmness,    dignity, 


3l8  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

faithfulness,  and  firmness  of  your  answer.  And  may  the 
Lord  our  God  give  you,  my  dear  brother,  all  the  wisdom  and 
strength  to  carry  the  right  with  unmovableness  and  faithful- 
ness through  and  over  whatever  difficulties  and  painfulness 
you  may  have  to  meet.  It  is  a  little  comment  on  such  pre- 
tensions that  recently  an  agent  of  that  voluntary  society  for 
the  '  Increase  of  the  Ministry  '  came  to  Cincinnati,  preached 
for  it,  made  a  collection,  visited  from  house  to  house  asking 
for  money,  and  never  in  any  ivay  communicated  with  me. 
Before  him  came  an  agent  of  Racine  College  doing  the  same, 
and  before  him  an  agent  of  the  American  Churchman — 
none  of  them  even  making  themselves  known  to  me.  Bishop 
Whitehouse's  ground  applies  to  all  agencies,  clerical  or  lay. 
Your  going  to  speak  in  Chicago  is  no  clerical  work.  It  is 
an  agency.  How  infatuated  he  is  !  You  will  have  more  to 
back  you  than  the  Evangelical  brethren.  The  Lord's  grace 
go  with  you.  Let  me  hear  how  the  matter  advances. 
"  Yours  very  affectionately, 

"  Chas.  p.  McIlvaine. 
"  Right  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

"Cincinnati,  February  9,  1869. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  When  you  come  to  the  meeting  in 
Cincinnati  you  must  come  and  stay  with  me.  On  the  night 
of  the  meeting  we  all  may  have  to  stay  in  town,  for  which 
due  arrangements  will  be  made.  But  I  hope  you  will  come 
soon  enough  to  stay  at  least  the  night  before  with  me. 
Please  write  me  on  receipt  of  this  when  you  purpose  reaching 
Cincinnati.  If  I  could  know  the  exact  train  and  its  arrival, 
I  would  have  a  carriage  to  meet  you  and  bring  you  out. 

"  Yours  affectionately, 

"Chas.  P.  McIlvaine. 
"  Bishop  Cummins." 


CORRESPONDENCE—  1 869.  3 1 9 

On  the  nth  Februar)^  1869,  Bishop  Whitehouse 
wrote  a  long  letter  to  Bishop  Smith,  of  Kentucky, 
giving  him  a  detailed  account  of  the  matter  at  issue,  to 
which  Bishop  Smith  sent  a  brief  reply  Februar}-  15th, 
expressing  his  regret  that  any  such  trouble  should 
have  arisen,  and  hoping  that  God  would  "  inspire  all 
concerned  with  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent  and  the 
harmlessness  of  the  dove." 

On  the  same  day,  February  nth,  Bishop  White- 
house  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Bishop  Cum- 
mins : 

"Chicago,  February  11,  1869. 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  I  received  in  due 
course  your  letter  of  February  3d.  I  regret  to  say  that  it  is 
far  from  satisfactory  to  me  in  the  explanation  of  the  manner 
in  which  you  deemed  proper  to  use  my  first  letter,  or  the  re- 
lations you  have  assumed  in  my  diocese. 

"  The  original  cause  for  your  visit  having  been  withdrawn 
by  the  action  of  the  body  you  promised  to  address,  and  your 
effort  having  failed  to  connect  that  Society  as  auxiliary  to 
the  '  three  great  Societies, '  I  have  more  reason  to  be  grieved 
that  you  force  a  new  issue  by  the  peremptory  notice  you  give 
me  of  your  purpose  to  visit  Chicago  '  to  preach  and  ask  offer- 
ings on  Sunday,  21st  inst.,  in  behalf  of  "  The  American 
Church  Missionary  Society"  and  "  The  Evangelical  Educa- 
tion Society."  ' 

"  I  have  forwarded  full  copies  of  the  correspondence, 
with  my  remarks  on  the  same,  to  Bishop  Smith,  Frankfort. 
I  havi  given  him  notice  of  my  '  protest  '  against  the  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Kentucky  assuming,  in  virtue  of  a  travelling  agency 
from  the  American  Church  Missionary  Society,  the  right  to 
act  without  consent  within  the  jurisdiction  of  another  bishop, 
or  contrary  to  his  expressed  wishes.     I  now  respectfully  pre 


320  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

sent  to  you  my  protest  against  your  assumed  authority  and 
your  contemplated  visit  at  the  time  indicated. 
"  Remaining  your  friend  and  brother, 

"  Henry  J.  Whitehouse,  Bishop  of  Illinois. 
"  To  THE  Right  Reverend  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  Assist- 
ant Bishop  of  Kentucky. 

"Chicago,  February  15,  1869. 
"  Right  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins,  D.D.  : 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  inclose  certified  copy  of  a  resolu- 
tion unanimously  signed  by  the  Standing  Committee  of  the 
diocese. 

"  A  copy  of  the  same  has  been  forwarded  to  Bishop 
Smith,  with  copies  of  all  the  letters  and  papers. 

"  By  the  mail  of  Saturday  I  addressed  to  you  my  own 
official  protest  to  the  position  and  action  you  have  thought 
proper  to  assume  in  relation  to  the  Bishop  and  diocese  of 
Illinois. 

* '  Remaining  your  friend  and  brother, 

"  Henry  J.  Whitehouse." 

Copy  of  protest  of  Standing  Committee  of  Illinois  : 

"  Chicago,  February  12,  1869. 
"  Whereas,   The  Bishop    of    Illinois   has  summoned  the 
Standing  Committee  of  said    diocese  for  counsel  upon  the 
proposed  visit  of  the  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky  to  this 
diocese  ;  therefore, 

' '  Resolved,  That  we  enter  our  protest  against  such  visit, 
and  trust  with  our  Bishop  that  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins 
will  not  persist  in  a  course  which,  under  the  circumstances, 
will,  in  our  opinion,  infallibly  lead  to  the  disquietude  and 
injury  of  the  diocese. 

(Signed)    "  T.  G.  Carver,  Geo.  R.  Chittenden, 

Clinton  Locke,        Henry  C.  Ranney, 
J.  H.  Rylance,         A.  C.  Calkins." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
CORRESPONDENCE — Continued. 

"Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage,  be  not  afraid,  neither  be  thou 
dismayed,  for  the  Lord  thy  God  is  with  thee,  whithersoever  thou  goest." 
— Joshua  i  :  9. 

Aged  47. 

FEBRUARY  1 8th,  Bishop  Cummins  left  his  home 
in  Pewee  Valley  for  Chicago,   and  on  reach- 
ing that  city  writes  thus  : 

"  Chicago,  February  19,  1869. 

"  I  am  safely  in  this  city,  and  writing  to  you  from  a  pri- 
vate room  in  Mr.  W 's  establishment.     I  left  Cincinnati 

at  three  o'clock  yesterday,  and  had  a  quiet  journey  to  this 
city.     I  went  to  the  Richmond  House  to  breakfast,  and  then 

came  round  to  Mr.  W 's,  who  received  me  literally  with 

open  arms.     I  went  with  him  to  Mr.  Sullivan's,  but  he  had 
gone  to  the  depot  to  meet  me,   having  mistaken  the  hour  of 

the  train's  arrival.     I  saw  Mrs.    S •     We  came  back  to 

Mr.  W 's  and  found  Mr.  S and  Mr.  H there. 

Then  I  proposed  to  them  to  go  with  me  to  see  Dr.    R , 

who  I  learn  said  Bishop  W was  acting  unwisely,  but  he 

was  out  of  town.     Then  we  went  to  find  Dr.  C ,  another 

member  of  the  Standing  Committee,   and  took   him  to  see 

Judge  O to  talk  over  the  matter.     We  talked  an  hour, 

and  I  think  made  an  impression  upon  their  minds,  as  they  are 

going  to  see  Bishop  W .     I  told  them  I  utterly  disclaimed 

and  disavowed    the  '  assumption  of   any    authority  '   within 


322  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Bishop  W 's  diocese  ;  I  claimed  the  right  which  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  gives  her  humblest  presbyter,  to 
preach  by  the  invitation  of  any  rector  to  his  people,  and  ask 
contributions  for  any  lawful  Church  work.  I  told  them  of 
the  peril  of  pressing  this  matter  to  an  issue  ;  that  if  Bishop 

W was  wise  he  would  not  do  so  ;  that  for  twenty  years 

our  bishops  had  done  the  same  thing  in  New  York  and  other 
dioceses,  and  would  never  yield  this  right. 

"  My  course  is  now  perfectly  clear,  and  my  mind  at  ease. 

I  have  answered  Bishop  W 's  last  letter  and  protest  in 

the  strain  above  alluded  to,  and  now  await  the  result  with 
perfect  composure. 

' '  The  arrangements  for  my  work  are  as  follows  :  I  lec- 
ture in  Trinity  to-night,  and  preach  there  Sunday  morning — 
but  not  for  the  societies — and  at  night  at  Mr.  Cheney's 
church  deliver  my  discourse  on  the  Reformation,  in  behalf  of 
the  Education  Society  chiefly. 

' '  I  am  so  thankful  now  that  I  am  here  ;  my  claim  is  one 
that  no  wise  man  can  dare  deny,  and  my  position  one  that 
will  uphold  our  precious  cause  unflinchingly  before  the  whole 
Church.  Bishop  W is  the  only  one  to  dread  the  colli- 
sion.    I  wish  you  could  have  heard  the  plain  words  I  spoke 

to  Judge  O and  Dr.  C ,  plain  but  utterly  inoffensive 

and  kind,  yet  firm  and  decided.  May  God  bless  and  sustain 
his  own  cause  !  All  our  friends  are  well.  Chicago  looks 
the  same.  Some  magnificent  blocks  of  marble  buildings  have 
gone  up.  Pray  that  God  may  bring  me  home  safely.  May 
he  bless  my  loved  ones  and  keep  them  near  to  him.  Mr. 
Sullivan  has  arranged  to  have  me  stay  at  Mr.  McK 's." 

The  letter  referred  to  above  by  Bishop  Cummins 
is  as  follows  : 

"  Chicago,  February  ig,  1869. 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  Yours  of  the  nth 
inst.  reached  me  on  the  eve  of  leaving  home  for  Cincinnati, 


CORRESPONDENCE— \Z6c^.  323 

and  up  to  this  time  I  have  not  had  the  leisure  to  reply  to  it. 
You  announce  to  me  that  you  have  given  notice  to  Bishop 
Smith  of  your  protest  against  my  '  assuming  the  right  to  act 
without  consent  within  the  jurisdiction  of  another  bishop,  or 
contrary  to  his  wishes.'  And  you  present  to  me  a  '  protest  ' 
against  my  '  assumed  authority,'  etc. 

"  In  reply  to  this  I  most  earnestly  disclaim  and  disavow 
any  assumption  of  authority  within  your  diocese.  I  have 
never  made  such  a  claim,  nor  do  I  now  make  it.  I  only 
claim  the  right  which  the  Church  allows  to  the  humblest  pres- 
byter, of  accepting  an  invitation  from  the  rector  of  any  church 
to  preach  to  his  people  and  ask  for  contributions  from  them 
in  behalf  of  any  lawful  Church  work.  This  right  I  have  not 
lost  by  becoming  a  bishop,  and  surely  this  is  not  the  assump- 
tion of  power  within  the  diocese  of  any  brother  bishop. 

"  As  to  the  matter  of  courtesy,  I  claim  to  have  granted 
you  this  when  I  have  declined  to  speak  for  the  new  society 
lately  organized  in  this  city  ;  and  in  this  course  I  have  been 
moved  by  an  earnest  desire  to  promote  peace  and  harmony 
in  the  Church.  I  now  again  earnestly  entreat  you  not  to 
raise  the  issue  by  denying  the  right  I  have  claimed  above. 
For  twenty  years  past  bishops  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
pleading  the  cause  of  The  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society 
within  the  dioceses  of  other  bishops  without  a  word  of  pro- 
test being  raised  against  their  action  ;  I  am  very  sure  they  will 
not  now  willingly  surrender  such  a  right. 

"  Assuring  you  once  more  of  my  regret  that  any  contro- 
versy should  have  arisen  between  us,  and  of  my  earnest  desire 
to  quiet  all  agitation, 

"  I  am,  most  faithfully  yours, 

"  George  D.  Cummins. 
"  The  Right  Rev.  H.  J.  Whitehouse,  D.D." 

Under  date  of  March  ist,  1869,  Bishop  Mcllvaine 
writes  to  Bishop  Cummins  : 


324  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  was  very  glad  to  get  your  letter, 
having  received  before  the  Times  containing  your  discourse. 
Your  course  was  as  plain  as  possible,  and  is  perfectly  impreg- 
nable. .  .  .  The  whole  matter  will  do  good.  I  sent 
you  copies  of  the  Hopkins  and  Onderdonk  correspondence. 
It  was  published  in  the  Episcopal  Recorder.,  February  24th, 
1844,  and  the  Episcopalian. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  Chas.  P.  McIlvaine." 

A  presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churct 
in  Tennessee  writes  thus  : 

"  Nashville,  Tenn.,  March  4,  1869. 
"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  My  heart  was  glad- 
dened by  what  I  saw  in  the  papers  of  your  doings  in  Chicago. 
"  I  write  this  just  to  say  that  it  would  rejoice  me  greatly 
if  you  would  visit  this  city  to  lift  up  your  voice  against  the 
dangerous  doctrines  and  practices  of  the  '  Anglo-Catholics. ' 

"  I  think  you  might  do  great  good  to  the  cause  by  a  visit 
here. 

"  Very  truly  yours  in  the  Gospel, 

"  W.  I.  E ." 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  C.  W.  Andrews,  of 
Virginia,    was   received    by    Bishop    Cummins    with 

great  satisfaction,    as  Dr.  A had  been  a  warm 

friend  for  many  years,  and  his  judgment  and  large 
experience  in  Church  questions  made  his  opinion  a 
peculiarly  valuable  one  : 

"  Shepherdstown,  Va.,  March  5,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  just  read  your  late  corre- 
spondence with  Bishop  Whitehouse. 

"  It  was  not  an  easy  thing  to  go  through  such  a  corre- 
spondence under  such  Episcopal  provocation  without  finding 


CORRESPONDENCE—  1 869.  325 

something  in  the  printed  form  which  one  might  wish  had  been 
different  :  but  by  the  divine  mercy  you  were  kept  from  any 
thing  hasty,  unjust,  undignified,  or  unkind,  and  I  do  thank 
God  for  it.     .     .     .     No  bishop  in  the  Church  has  shown  so 

despotic  a  temper  as  Bishop  W ,  and  he  who  yields  to 

him  betrays  the  liberties  of  his  brethren.  Trials  you  will 
have,  but  who  escapes  them  who  does  his  duty  ? 

"  May  God  in  mercy  give  you  wisdom  and  every  grace. 
Soon  the  contest  for  his  precious  truth  will  be  over.  Abuse 
and  opposition  in  this  work  used  to  give  me  trouble — it  does 
not  much  now. 

"  You  have  my  affectionate  sympathies  and  prayers,  as 
you  will  have  of  thousands  in  the  Church  from  whom  you  will 
never  hear  any  thing. 

"  Your  friend  and  brother, 

"  C.  W.  Andrews." 

From  his  revered  and  very  dear  friend  Dr.  Spar- 
row, then  President  of  the  Virginia  Theological  Sem- 
inary, Bishop  Cummins  received  the  letter  inserted 
below,  and  which  was  most  welcome  at  this  time. 
The  approval  of  this  dear  Father  in  the  Church  was  a 
cause  of  great  thankfulness  : 

"Theological  Seminary,  Fairfax  Co.,  Va.,  ) 

March  12,  1869.      \ 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  Most  heartily  do  I  sympathize  with 
you  in  your  endeavors  to  save  our  people  from  a  retrogres- 
sion to  Rome  ;  and  also  thank  you  for  the  stand  you  have 
taken  against  Illinois  assumptions.  I  believe  it  costs  a  bishop 
more  than  it  costs  a  presbyter  to  stand  up  against  a  bishop  at 
the  call  of  principle.  I  have  long  noticed  this,  and  seen  how 
perniciously  it  has  worked.  It  has  given  arrogance  a  great 
advantage  over  moderation  and  fairness,  and  has  insensibly 
led  to   an  increase   of  pretensions  and  airs  and  assumptions 


326  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

which  our  fathers  knew  nothing  of,  and  which  are  utterly  re^ 
pugnant  to  the  spirit  of  Protestantism  and  the  Bible, 

"  In  speaking  of  my  readiness  to  do  any  thing  for  you, 
and  my  sympathy  with  you  in  your  labors,  I  feel  bound  to 
add  that  personal  obligations  would  strongly  impel  me  in  the 
same  direction.  I  do  not  forget  your  kindness  in  '  ante-bel- 
lum '  times,  when  you  were  settled  in  Baltimore. 

' '  I  am,  my  dear  bishop,  most  truly  your  friend  and  ser- 
vant, William  Sparrow. 
"  Bishop  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  Pewee  Valley,  Ky.'' 

On  the  17th  March  Bishop  Cummins  received  the 
following  document  : 

"  New  York,  130  E.  17TH  Street,  March  16,  1869. 
''  Right  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins .,  D.D.  : 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir:  It  gives  me  great 
pleasure  personally  to  forward  to  you  the  following  resolution, 
which  was  passed  at  a  meeting  of  '  The  Protestant  Episcopal 
Clerical  Association  ' : 

' '  Resolved,  That  the  Clerical  Association  have  heard  with 
satisfaction  the  principles  advanced  by  Bishop  Cummins  in 
his  correspondence  with  Bishop  Whitehouse  ;  that  they  cor- 
dially approve  said  principles,  and  will  stand  by  Bishop  Cum- 
mins in  their  maintenance  and  defence. 

"  Yours  faithfully,         W.  N.  McVickar,  Secretary." 

The  next  letter  in  order  of  date  is  from  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Bishop  of  Delaware  : 

"Wilmington,  Del.,  March  17,  1869. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  wish  to  let  you  know  how  fully  I 
approve  of  the  course  you  pursued  in  the  Chicago  affair  ;  and 
to  thank  you  for  the  firm  and  manly  resistance  to  the  unwar- 


CORRESPONDENCE— \Z6().  327 

ranted  demands  of  Bishop  Whitehouse.  You  did  all  that 
could  be  expected  of  a  Christian  gentleman  and  brother,  and 
at  the  same  time  vindicated  our  gospel  liberty.  I  hardly 
think  many  of  our  bishops  could  be  found  to  sustain  Bishop 
Whitehouse  in  claims  for  which  our  canons  give  no  color. 
But  if  there  should  be,  you  will  not  be  without  the  sympathy 
and  support  of  others.  It  would  be  just  as  proper  and  rea- 
sonable for  Bishop  Potter  to  interdict  the  meetings  of  evangel- 
ical societies  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

"  Assuring  you  of  my  cordial  sympathy  and  fraternal 
affection,  I  remain  yours,  Alfred  Lee. 

"  Bishop  Cummins." 

A  series  of  meetings  was  now  proposed  by  the 
officers  of  the  Evangelical  Societies,  to  be  held  in  the 
cities  of  the  East— Boston,  Philadelphia,  Wilmington, 
Newark,  Providence,  Washington,  and  Baltimore. 
Very  urgent  invitations  were  sent  to  Bishop  Cum- 
mins to  attend  and  speak  at  these  meetings.  He 
wrote  and  asked  advice  from  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  and 
Bishop  Lee,  of  Delaware.  Bishop  Mcllvaine  advises 
him,  in  a  lengthy  letter  of  nearly  ten  pages,  7iot  to  take 
part  in  the  proposed  meetings.     He  writes  : 

"You  have  boldly,  moderately,  faithfully,  courteously, 
and  perfectly,  within  reasonable  as  well  as  rightful  limits,  as- 
serted your  right  as  bishop  against  a  most  unlawful  inhibition. 
The  principle  of  right  has  been  maintained.  Had  it  not  been 
that  there  was  a  crisis — that  the  time  had  come  for  assertion 
and  defence,  and  to  yield  that  once  would  have  been  exceed- 
ingly and  lastingly  injurious,  it  would  have  been  well,  under 
the  circumstances,  not  to  go.  No  such  crisis  now  exists.  If 
another  comes  we  must  meet  it.  But  meanwhile  I  think  you 
owe  it  to  yourself  and  your  future  work  to  avoid  seaning  to 


328  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

go  out  of  your  way  to  attend  meetings  of  the  Societies  where 
they  would  be  offensive. 

' '  I  say  I  think  this  your  wisest  course  7iow.  Things  may 
very  much  change  in  a  short  time,  when  a  more  asserting  pol- 
icy may  be  duty. 

"  As  you  say,  the  times  in  our  Church  become  more  and 
more  perilous,  and  we  need  all  the  wisdom  and  firmness, 
calmness  and  decision  we  can  get  of  him  to  whom  it  is  our 
great  privilege  and  consolation  to  go. 

"  The  delegate  meeting  is  to  begin  here  on  Sunday,  April 
25th.  I  beg  that  you  will  not  let  any  thing — not  unavoidable 
— keep  you  away.  .  .  .  Your  presence  and  aid  will  be  of 
great  importance.     You  know  you  are  to  be  my  guest." 

From  Bishop  A.  Lee  Bishop  Cummins  received 
the  following  : 

"Wilmington,  March  27,  1869. 

' '  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins  : 

"  Dear  Brother  in  Christ  :  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
receiving  your  letter  of  the  25th.  It  is  a  difficult  matter  to 
advise.  There  are  always  considerations  known  best  to  our- 
selves that  shape  our  conduct. 

"  I  appreciate  the  trial  to  which  you  are  exposed,  and  the 
conflict  in  your  mind  between  the  desire  to  do  your  duty  as  a 
good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ  and  your  reluctance  to  appear 
obtrusive.  How  would  it  do  for  you  to  participate  in  some 
of  this  series  of  meetings  ?  ...  In  Washington  and  Bal- 
timore you  have  had  parochial  charges,  and  may  reasonably 
revisit  your  old  friends.  In  Philadelphia,  Boston,  and  Wil- 
mington you  would  be  cordially  welcomed  by  the  bishops. 
.  .  .  The  reports  of  your  speeches  will  reach  and  influence 
many  in  other  dioceses.  If  you  do  accept  the  invitations,  I 
shall  certainly  hope  to  have  your  aid  and  countenance,  as  I 
believe  one  of  the  meetings  is  to  be  held  here  in  old  St.  An- 
drew's. 


CORRESPONDENCE—  1 869.  3  29 

"  Praying  the  Lord  to  guide  and  bless  you,  I  am,  faith- 
fully yours,  Alfred  Lee." 

A  well-known  presbyter  of  the  Church  of  England 
writes  ?is  follows  : 

"  March  27,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Friend  :  I  have  to  thank  you  for  your  letter 
of  loth  February,  since  when  I  have  read  in  the  Protestant 
Churchma7i  your  correspondence  with  Bishop  Whitehouse. 
I  have  no  patience  with  that  dog-in-the-manger  spirit  which 
High  Churchmen  both  in  America  and  England  are  ever  dis- 
playing. The  love  of  power  natural  to  man's  heart,  when 
strengthened  by  High  Church  ecclesiastical  assumptions,  never 
knows  any  limit,  and  is  constantly  making  men  tyrants. 
There  are  a  good  many  would-be  Hildebrands  on  both  sides 
the  Atlantic  in  this  nineteenth  century. 

' '  I  have  contested  with  men  on  the  same  principle,  and 

would  not  consent  to  give  place  to  them,  no,  not  for  an  hour  ! 

I  hope  your  '  White  Owl '  is  alive  and  well  !     I  wish 

you  would  put  it  in  a  cage  and  bring  it  over  for  an  exhibition. 

We  have  plenty  of  Dr.  E s  to  whom  the  sight  of  it  would 

do  good.     But  whether  you  come  with  or  without  your  inter- 
esting specimen  of  ornithology,  you  will  be  welcome  to  Old 
England,  and  especially  to  my  house.     I  have  often  regretted 
that  1  did  not  know  of  your  last  visit  to  England. 
"  I  remain  yours  most  sincerely, 

"  G.  T.  F ." 

During  this  month,  and  April  and  May,  Bishop 
Cummins  was  constantly  occupied  with  official  duty 
in  Louisville  and  the  southern  part  of  the  diocese. 
The  Diocesan  Convention  was  held  this  year  at  Hen- 
derson in  May. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

LETTER  TO  BISHOP  BEDELL. 

"  I  venerate  the  man  whose  heart  is  warm, 
Whose  hands  are  pure,  whose  doctrines,  and  whose  life 
Coincident — exhibit  lucid  proof 
That  he  is  honest  in  the  sacred  cause. ' ' 

COWPER. 

Aged  47. 

BISHOP  CUMMINS  received  at  this  time  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  dated 

"  Gambier,  Ohio,  May  i,  1869. 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  Bishop  Mc- 
Ilvaine  has  written  a  letter  to  a  young  clergyman  in  reply  to 
strictures  on  the  Prayer  Book,  and  to  conscientious  difficulties 
arising  from  certain  expressions  in  the  Liturgy.  Without  go- 
ing at  length  into  the  subject,  he  has  given  some  thoughts  on 
which  he  bases  a  reaffirmation  of  his  belief  in  the  Evangelical 
character  of  our  standards,  and  the  inexpediency  of  attempt- 
ing to  revise  the  Prayer  Book  at  the  present  time.  A  copy 
of  this  letter  will  be  sent  to  you  in  the  next  number  of  the 
Standard  of  the  Cross. 

"  The  present  exigency,  and  especially  the  danger  to  our 
Evangelical  interests  from  rash  movements  among  our  brethren, 
who,  in  other  particulars  have  our  sympathy,  have  doubtless 
called  your  attention  to  this  topic.  I  beg,  therefore,  to  so- 
licit from  you  a  response,  however  brief,  to  this  forthcoming 
letter,    which  will    indicate   your  general  agreement  in  the 


LETTER    TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  331 

bishop's  views  ;  and  which,  together  with  his  letter,  may 
form  a  rallying-point  for  right-minded  Evangelical  men.  We 
are  sufficiently  assured  that  these  form  a  large  majority,  who 
only  need  the  opportunity  to  speak.  They  will  find  it  in  this 
proposed  individual  yet  united  utterance  of  our  Evangelical 
bishops. 

' '  I  propose  to  print  these  responses  in  the  number  of  the 
Standard  of  the  Cross  next  after  they  shall  be  received,  and  to 
distribute  them  as  widely  as  the  bishop's  letter  ;  and  there- 
fore beg  you  to  do  me  the  favor  to  respond  by  the  next  mail, 
addressed  to  the  care  of  Rev.  W.  C.  French,  Oberlin,  Ohio. 
"  Very  sincerely  your  brother, 

"G.  T.  Bedell. 
"  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins." 

To  this  letter  Bishop  Cummins  sent  the  following 
reply  : 

"Diocese  of  Kentucky,  Pewee  Valley,  May  14,  1869. 

"  The  Right  Rev.  G.  T.  Bedell,  D.D.  : 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  The  admir- 
able letter  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine  to  a  young  clergyman  con- 
cerning certain  scruples  of  conscience  in  using  some  expres- 
sions in  the  liturgy  of  our  Church  meets  with  my  warmest 
and  most  cordial  approbation. 

"  The  beloved  brother  who  has  elicited  this  most  valuable 
and  timely  response  is  one  whom  we  all  love  and  esteem  for 
his  fidelity  to  gospel  truth,  and  his  earnest  work  in  the  min- 
istry. He  has  seriously  entertained  the  question  whether  he 
can  conscientiously  remain  in  the  ministry  of  a  Church  where 
he  is  required  to  use  certain  terms  and  expressions  which 
seem  in  his  judgment  to  teach  error,  and  to  be  in  conflict  with 
the  Word  of  God. 

"  I  learn  that  he  is  a  representative  of  not  a  few  earnest, 
faithful  clergymen  and  laymen  among  us,  who,  while  loving 


332  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

'  this  Church  '  fervently  and  devotedly,  feel  the  same  consci- 
entious scruples  concerning  certain  expressions  in  the  Prayer 
Book.  If  I  understand  their  position  it  is  this  :  That  while 
they  admit  that  all  these  offices  were  composed  by  men  who 
were  thoroughly  opposed  to  the  modern  and  extreme  inter- 
pretation put  upon  the  expressions,  and  therefore  such  inter- 
pretation cannot  be  their  meaning  ;  and  while  they  hold  that 
rightly  interpreted  by  the  views  of  the  Reformers  and  in  har- 
mony with  the  Articles — the  Church's  dogmatic  expression  of 
her  faith — yet,  that  such  interpretation  is  now  denied  by  a 
large  majority  of  the  present  generation  of  churchmen  ;  that 
the  claim  is  urged  that  we  must  take  these  terms,  not  as  the 
Reformers  understood  them,  but  as  their  plain  literal  language 
teaches,  and  in  no  other  ;  that  he  who  does  otherwise  is  a 
disloyal  son  of  the  Church,  unworthy  of  a  place  in  it  ;  that 
two  or  three  generations  of  clergymen,  in  this  country  for  the 
most  part,  have  been  trained  in  the  belief  that  the  term 
'  priest,'  applied  to  a  minister  of  this  Church,  means  that  he 
is  a  Sacerdos,  a  Hiereus,  a  priest  ordained  to  offer  a  commemo- 
rative sacrifice  in  the  Eucharist,  and  to  stand  between  Christ 
and  the  soul  as  the  only  divinely-appointed  channel  through 
which  grace  can  be  conveyed  and  the  benefits  of  Christ's 
death  imparted  ;  that  when  in  the  office  for  Infant  baptism  we 
are  required  to  give  thanks  to  God  that  he  hath  been  pleased 
'  to  regenerate  this  infant  by  his  Holy  Spirit, '  the  Church 
teaches  that  baptism  and  regeneration  are  inseparable  ;  that 
the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  begins  in  baptism,  and  that  to 
preach  the  necessity  of  being  born  again  to  adults  who  have 
been  baptized  in  infancy  is  to  teach  doctrines  hostile  to  this 
Church's  teaching,  and  that  when  a  man  would  ascertain 
whether  he  has  ever  been  regenerated,  he  is  to  go  to  the  parish 
register  and  see  if  he  has  been  baptized,  and  if  that  be  ascer- 
tained, he  has,  by  virtue  of  his  baptism,  been  regenerated. 

"  These  brethren  whose  consciences  are  aggrieved  by  these 
expressions  feel  that  the  apparent,  not  the  real  meaning  of  the 


LETTER    TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  333 

terms  alluded  to,  has  been  the  fruitful  source  of  the  evils  now 
afflicting  the  Church,  and  has  given  rise  to  the  large  and  rap- 
idly growing  school  among  us  and  in  England  who  in  the  es- 
sential doctrine  of  the  sacraments  see  no  difference  between 
our  Church  and  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  who  teach,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  one  of  her  most  prominent  champions,  that  *  in  the 
regeneration  by  holy  baptism,  in  the  spiritual  and  ineffable 
presence  of  our  Lord  in  the  holy  Eucharist,  with  the  mystical 
nutriment  through  his  body  and  blood,  as  well  as  in  the  de- 
finition of  the  sacraments  generally,  there  is  virtual  concur- 
rence in  the  accepted  standards  of  the  historical  Churches, 
Eastern,  Western,  and  Anglican. ' 

"  Shocked  and  amazed  at  such  teaching  by  men  in  author- 
ity amongst  us,  and  alarmed  by  the  advances  of  an  idolatrous 
Ritualism,  these  dear  brethren  now  are  asking  that  a  very 
few  changes  or  alterations  in  certain  expressions  may  be 
made,  or  the  use  of  alternate  forms  may  be  allowed  to  them, 
to  enable  them  to  bear  witness  that  they  have  no  sympathy 
with  these  extreme  views — views  which,  in  their  judgment,  are 
contrary  to  God's  Word,  and  destructive  to  the  souls  of  men, 

"  The  writer  of  the  letter  to  Bishop  Mcllvaine  is  the  rep- 
resentative of  this  class,  a  class  seriously  considering  the 
question  whether  it  has  not  become  their  duty  to  leave  the 
Church  of  their  fathers  and  of  their  first  love,  if  no  relief  is 
granted  to  their  consciences. 

"  I  earnestly  trust  that  the  most  wise  and  godly  counsel  of 
our  venerable  father  will  be  blessed  of  God  to  the  removing 
of  their  difficulties,  and  retaining  them  within  the  Church. 
This  is  not  a  time  when  we  can  aff'ord  to  lose  a  single  com- 
rade from  our  ranks  in  the  great  struggle  with  errorists.  This 
Church  of  the  Reformation  needs  the  help  of  every  son  in  this 
hour  of  her  sore  trial.  To  desert  her  now  seems  like  desert- 
ing a  parent  assailed  by  faithless  children.  To  go  out  of  her 
communion  because  there  is  treachery  within,  is  to  lower  the 
flag  and  surrender  the  citadel  to  her  enemies. 


334  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


"  But  the  great  question  which  I  now  seek  to  press  is, 
Has  the  Church  no  duty  to  fulfil  towards  the  men  whom  I  have 
described 'i  Has  she  no  voice  of  sympathy  or  of  kindness  with 
which  to  respond  to  their  cry  for  reUef  ?  Is  she  to  remain 
silent,  stern,  cold,  and  deaf  to  the  conscientious  prayer  of 
these  her  faithful  sons  ?  Is  she  not  wise  enough,  strong 
enough,  tender  enough  to  throw  her  arms  about  them  and 
say,  we  will  not  drive  you  beyond  our  fold  ;  we  will  not  re- 
peat the  error  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  the  Wesleys 
and  their  followers  found  only  a  harsh  mother  in  the  Church, 
and  reluctantly  were  constrained  to  turn  away  from  her  ;  we 
will  not  bring  back  the  St.  Bartholomew's  Day  of  1662,  when 
two  thousand  clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England,  including 
Baxter,  Owen,  and  Flavel,  went  out  from  the  Church  because 
relief  to  their  conscientious  convictions  was  denied  them  ; 
we  will  grant  your  prayer  for  relief  where  it  can  be  done  so 
as  not  to  impugn  or  deny  any  fundamental  doctrine  of  the 
faith — any  essential  part  of  the  order  of  the  Church  of  God. 
Oh  !  if  this  Church  of  ours  could  rise  to  the  grand  conception 
that  she  is  wide  enough  and  comprehensive  enough  to  take 
such  a  stand,  who  can  doubt  that  she  would  bind  to  her  by 
hooks  of  steel  every  wavering  son,  make  herself  fitted  to  be 
the  great  American  Church,  and  win  to  her  vast  multitudes 
now  standing  aloof  from  her,  uncertain  whither  she  is  tending 
to  the  status  of  the  mediaeval  Church,  or  to  a  true  Evangelical 
Catholicism — Reformed — Protestant — Free. 

'*  My  dear  brother,  I  am  not  one  of  the  class  for  whom  I 
am  pleading.  I  can  use,  and  have  ever  used,  the  Prayer 
Book  without  conscientious  scruples.  I  take  the  expressions 
which  give  trouble  to  my  brethren  to  mean,  not  what  extreme 
men  now  claim  that  they  mean,  but  what  the  blessed  Reformers 
intended  them  to  mean  and  to  teach  ;  and  I  can  use  them  in 
a  thoroughly  evangelical  sense.  I  can  therefore  plead  with 
more  fervor  for  others,  for  brethren  dear  to  me.  And  I  ven- 
ture to  ask,  has  not  the  time  come  when  this  Church  can  afford 


LETTER    TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  335 

to  grant  these  brethren  the  relief  which  they  crave  ?  Does  it 
seem  to  you  an  impracticable  thing  ?  I  reply,  twice  in  the 
history  of  this  Church  has  action  been  taken  which  involves  in  prin- 
ciple all  for  which  our  brethren  are  contending. 

"I.  In  the  first  Prayer  Book  adopted  by  our  American 
Church,  in  1785,  a  Prayer  Book  tendered  to  England  as  the 
basis  on  which  we  were  to  be  acknowledged  as  a  true  daughter 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  our  bishops-elect  were  to  be 
consecrated,  the  baptismal  service  for  infants  was  drawn  up 
precisely  as  all  evangelical  men  would  now  rejoice  to  see  it. 
The  Prayer  of  Thanksgiving  immediately  after  the  baptism 
read  thus  :  '  We  yield  thee  hearty  thanks,  most  merciful 
Father,  that  it  hath  pleased  thee  to  receive  this  infant  for  thine 
own  child  by  baptism,  and  to  incorporate  him  into  thy  holy 
Church. ' 

"  In  this  prayer  the  words  '  to  regenerate  this  infant  by 
thy  Holy  Spirit,'  occurring  in  the  Prayer  Book  of  the  Church 
of  England,  were  omitted  ;  and  this  omission  was  sanc- 
tioned by  a  Convention  presided  over  by  the  venerable  Wm. 
White,  D.D.,  the  patriarch  of  the  Church  in  this  country. 

"  This  book  was  submitted  to  the  English  archbishops 
and  bishops  for  their  acceptance  and  indorsement  as  a  basis 
for  the  consecration  of  the  American  bishops-elect.  The 
English  bishops  replied,  and  complained  of  the  omission  of 
certain  things  found  in  the  English  Prayer  Book,  the  chief  of 
which  were  the  omission  of  the  Nicene  and  Athanasian  creeds, 
and  of  the  words,  '  He  descended  into  hell,'  in  the  Apostles* 
Creed  :  they  urged  the  restoration  of  these  into  our  manual  of 
worship.  No  complaint  luas  juade  of  the  omission  of  the  words 
in  the  baptismal  office;  and  the  English  bishops  proceed  to 
state  that  they  have  caused  to  be  introduced  into  Parliament  a 
bill  authorizing  them  to  consecrate  the  American  bishops, 
trusting  that  the  objections  they  had  offered  would  be  removed. 

"  Now,  in  the  preface  to  this  first  American  Prayer  Book, 
it  was  declared  that  '  it  is  humbly  conceived  that  the  doctrines  of 


336  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS.] 

the  Church  of  England  are  preserved  entire,  as  being  perfectly 
agreeable  to  the  Gospel. '  And  yet  in  this  book  the  thanksgiv- 
ing for  the  regeneration  of  the  child  in  baptism  was  left  out  ! 
'  Still, '  said  our  fathers  in  that  Council,  '  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church  of  England  are  preserved  entire. ' 

"  The  fifteen  English  bishops  accepted  this  statement 
and  omission,  made  no  objection  to  it,  and  proceeded  upon 
this  basis  to  consecrate  the  American  bishops.  When  the 
omitted  words  were  restored  we  know  not.  But  these  facts 
are  incontrovertible,  says  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wharton. 

"  I.  The  Convention  of  1785  declared  that  in  the  pro- 
posed book,  in  which  the  term  '  regenerate  '  was  left  out 
from  the  thanksgiving  in  question,  '  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church  of  Englan-d  are  preserved  entire. ' 

"2.  The  English  bishops  meeting  in  Council  presented 
no  specific  objection  to  this  change  ;  did  not  include  it  in  the 
points  as  to  which  they  asked  a  reconsideration,  and  finally 
imparted  Consecration  on  the  basis  of  the  book  in  which  this 
alteration  was  included. 

"3.  The  term  '  regeneration  '  in  this  thanksgiving  appears 
not  only  thus  to  have  been  treated  by  the  English  bishops  as 
an  expression  whose  removal  did  not  affect  the  general  sense 
of  the  service,  but  it  was  first  taken  out  and  then  put  back  by 
our  own  Convention,  as  far  as  we  can  gather,  without  partic- 
ular debate,  and  with  no  division  recorded,  just  as  we  would 
do  with  equivalent  or  convertible  terms. 

"  Now  does  not  this  action  of  the  original  Council  of  our 
Church  in  this  country,  indorsed  by  the  English  bishops,  con- 
cede all  our  brethren  ask  for  ?  Take  away  the  words  *  to  re- 
generate this  infant '  from  the  Prayer  of  Thanksgiving  after 
the  baptism,  and  scarcely  any  ground  of  disquietude  remains. 

"  II,  The  second  action  of  this  Church  to  which  I  allude 
occurred  in  the  year  1826.  In  the  General  Convention  of 
that  year  a  plan  was  introduced  to  secure  greater  uniformity 
in  the  use  of  the  liturgy,  and  to  '  provide  against  the  injurious 


LETTER    TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  33/ 

misapprehension  of  certain  terms  in  the  first  collect  in  the 
office  for  confirmation.' 

"  Among  other  things  this  plan  provided  for  the  use  of  a 
single  psalm  instead  of  the  Psalter  for  morning  and  evening  ; 
the  shortening  the  lessons  so  as  to  be  not  less  than  fifteen 
verses  each  ;  the  use  of  an  alternate  preface  to  the  confirma- 
tion service  ;  and,  most  important  of  all,  the  insertion  in  the 
first  collect,  in  the  office  of  confirmation,  the  words  '  in  bap- 
tism, '  between  '  hast  vouchsafed  '  and  '  to  regenerate, '  thus 
identifying  baptism  and  regeneration,  and  declaring  them 
convertible  terms. 

"  Bishop  Hobart  was  the  author  of  this  plan,  which  passed 
both  Houses  of  the  General  Convention  of  1826  unanimously. 
In  a  letter  to  Francis  S.  Key,  in  January,  1827,  Bishop  Ho- 
bart says  of  this  last  proposed  change  :  '  The  object  of  the 
proposed  prayer  was  not  to  relinquish  the  expression  of  re- 
generation as  applied  to  baptism,  but  to  guard  against  the 
misconstruction  which  would  make  this  synonymous  with  re- 
generation, sanctification,  conversion,  or  any  other  terms  by 
which  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  might  be  denoted.' 

"  Now,  I  beg  you  to  regard  the  great  significance  of  this 
action.  In  an  addition  to  the  Prayer  Book  prepared  by 
Bishop  Hobart,  and  unanimously  adopted  by  one  General 
Convention,  it  was  declared  that  the  regeneration  for  which 
we  thank  God  in  baptism  is  not  to  be  taken  in  any  sense  as 
descriptive  of  the  renewing  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the 
heart,  but  only  a  term  equivalent  to  baptism,  a  sacramental 
change,  a  change  of  covenant  relation,  an  ecclesiastical 
change. 

"  Now  if  this  could  be  authoritatively  declared  770iv  by 
the  adoption  of  an  alternate  form,  or  allowing  the  omission  of 
the  words  *  regenerate,'  etc.,  would  it  not  satisfy  the  utmost 
demands  of  our  brethren  whose  consciences  are  now  trou- 
bled? 

"  To  them  regeneration  can  have  but  one  meaning,  ac- 


338  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

cording  to  its  definition  in  the  Word  of  God.  It  is  a  change 
of  character,  not  a  change  of  state,  of  ceremonial  observance 
— it  is  a  radical  change,  a  spiritual  change,  a  change  in  the 
man,  the  vital,  the  immortal  part.  It  is  an  intelligible  change. 
It  is  a  change  from  sin  to  holiness.  Scripture  seems  to  strug- 
gle with  the  poverty  of  language  to  tell  the  greatness  of  this 
change.  '  The  truth  seems  to  weigh  down  the  most  elastic 
tongue,  and  to  exhaust  the  most  voluminous  vocabulary,  and 
to  search  through  the  inventions  of  the  most  creative  imagina- 
tions, and  to  pass  from  one  emblem  to  another,  from  one  king- 
dom of  resemblance  to  a  second,  till  by  the  very  mysterious- 
ness  of  its  drapery  we  are  compelled  to  feel  that  the  nalced 
truth  as  appreciated  by  the  mind  of  God  surpasses  our  reach 
of  expression.' 

"  It  is  a  change  figured  by  that  which  occurs  in  natural 
birth.  'Born  again,'  'born  of  the  spirit,'  'born  of  water 
and  the  spirit,'  '  born  from  above,'  '  begotten  again  into  new- 
ness of  life.'     '  Marvel  not  '  at  these,  said  the  Master. 

"  It  is  a  change  typified  by  the  change  from  death  unto 
life,  '  You  hath  he  quickened,  who  were  dead  in  sins.' 
*  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life. '  '  Risen 
with  Christ.' 

"  It  is  a  change  represented  by  passing  from  darkness  to 
light.  '  Ye  were  sometime  darkness,  now  are  ye  light  in  the 
Lord. '     '  Children  of  light. ' 

"  It  is  portrayed  by  a  change  in  the  physical  organ — '  a 
new  heart  will  I  give  you.' 

"  It  is  a  transfer  from  one  dominion  to  another.  '  Trans- 
lated from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of 
God's  dear  Son.'  '  Ye  are  God's  workmanship,  created  in 
Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works. '  '  Transformed  by  the  renew- 
ing of  your  minds. '  '  As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God. '  '  Old  things  have  passed 
away,  all  things  have  become  new. ' 

*  *  Can  men  to  whom  all  this  is  bound  up  in  regeneration — 


LETTER    TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  339 

to  whom,  as  they  receive  God's  Word,  it  teaches  nothing  less 
— can  such  men  beHeve  that  such  a  mighty,  wondrous  work 
of  God's  Spirit  is  wrought  inseparably  in  infant  baptism  ?  It 
is  mockery  to  expect  it.  If  it  is  replied  that  the  Church  does 
not  teach  such  doctrines,  and  that,  as  Bishop  Hobart  said, 
'  regeneration  in  baptism  is  not  synonymous  with  any  term 
by  which  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  might  be  desig- 
nated, '  then  let  the  Church  so  declare  ;  and  let  it,  by  the  allow- 
ance of  the  use  of  an  alternate  form,  give  relief  to  the  con- 
sciences of  a  large  and  most  worthy  class  of  men  who  long  to 
live  and  die  within  her  fold.  * 

Bishop  Cummins  then  adds  : 

"  You  have  asked,  my  dear  brother,  for  the  opinions  of 
all  the  bishops  of  our  Church  who  are  in  sympathy  with  the 
views  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  and  whose  united  voice  may  have 
great  weight  in  deciding  the  course  of  evangelical  men  at  this 
crisis  of  our  Church's  history.  Heartily  sympathizing  with 
every  word  in  the  letter  of  the  emment  Bishop  of  Ohio,  I  have 
ventured  to  express  my  views  upon  a  subject  not  broached  by 
him — the  duty  of  the  Church  towards  her  own  children  thus 
troubled  by  conscience.  I  have  only  asked  that  she  should 
grant  them  such  liberty  of  action  in  the  omission  of  words 
from  the  Baptismal  office  as  were  omitted  in  the  first  Prayer 
Book  adopted  by  the  first  General  Convention  of  the  Church 
held  in  1785,  and  to  which  omission  no  objection  was  made 
by  the  archbishops  and  bishops  of  the  Church  of  England 
when  the  book  was  presented  to  them  for  their  acceptance  as 
a  basis  upon  which  they  could  consecrate  the  American  bish- 
ops. Or,  if  this  should  be  denied  as  too  great  a  concession, 
I  have  ventured  to  ask  for  them  that  the  Church  should  for- 
mally declare  in  some  mode,  as  proposed  by  Bishop  Hobart, 
and  unanimously  adopted  by  both  Houses  of  the  General 
Convention  of  1826,  that  regeneration  in  baptism   is  not  sy- 


340  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

nonymous  with  renovation,  sanctification,  conversion,  or  any 
other  term  by  which  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  might 
be  designated  ;  in  other  words,  that  it  is  designed  to  indicate 
a  sacramental  and  ecclesiastical  change,  a  change  of  state  and 
not  of  character.  Who  will  say  that  the  adoption  of  either  of 
these  courses  would  impugn  or  destroy  one  particle  of  the 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints  ?  Who  will  deny  that  such 
action  might  tend  in  a  vast  degree  to  promote  the  harmony 
and  unity  of  the  Church  ? 

"  And  now,  while  listening  to  the  voices  of  those  still  on 
earth,  it  would  seem  to  be  a  time  to  hearken  to  the  testimony 
of  two  most  distinguished  of  our  brethren  now  at  rest  with 
God.  Bishop  Burgess  thus  wrote  :  '  It  has  been  proposed 
that  a  similar  option  should  be  permitted  between  the  prayer 
which  immediately  follows  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  the  baptismal 
office,  and  some  form  which  should  not  state  with  so  little 
qualification  the  regeneration  of  the  baptized  child  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  If,  without  touching  the  doctrine  of  the 
Church,  such  a  permission  could  relieve  hereafter  the  anxieties 
of  good  men  of  a  tender  conscience,  and  put  to  silence  all 
needless  controversy  on  the  subjects  of  baptism  and  regenera- 
tion, these  benefits  might  not  be  too  dearly  purchased. '  * 

"  And  Bishop  Meade — than  whom  no  bishop,  living  or 
dead,  has  done  more  to  strengthen  and  extend  our  Church  in 
this  country,  and  whose  love  for  the  Church  of  his  fathers 
was  a  deep,  self-consuming  passion — wrote  still  more  strongly 
to  the  same  effect  : 

"  '  In  the  ordination  of  ministers  two  forms  are  allowed, 
according  to  the  option  of  the  bishop.  Why  not  the  same 
privilege  of  omission  granted  to  the  minister  in  baptism  ;  or 
the  use  of  another  prayer  which  might  be  proposed  ?  I  am 
persuaded  that  nothing  would  contribute  more  to  peace  among 
ourselves,  and  to  remove  prejudices  from  the  minds  of  those 

*  Bishop  Potter's  "  Memorial  Papers,"  pp.  133,  134. 


LETTER   TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  34 1 

who  belong  to  other  denominations  and  the  community  at 
large  than  such  an  arrangement.  It  would  be  in  entire  ac- 
cordance with  what  now  seems  to  be  generally  admitted — 
namely,  that  a  considerable  latitude  of  opinion  as  to  the 
meaning  of  certain  expressions  in  the  Baptismal  service  is  al- 
lowed. If  it  be  allowed,  why  enforce  on  all  the  use  of  words 
which  by  their  sound  seem  to  convey  a  meaning  which  is  re- 
pudiated by  many  ?  I  have  long  known  that  a  painful  diffi- 
culty is  felt  in  the  use  of  these  passages,  not  by  one  portion 
of  our  ministers  and  people,  but  by  a  number  who  differ  from 
them  in  other  points.  I  believe  that  public  baptism  would 
be  more  common  but  for  the  reluctance  to  use  these  expres- 
sions before  so  many  who  do  not  understand  or  approve 
them.  Many  parents,  I  believe,  are  prejudiced  against  the 
baptism  of  their  children,  and  put  it  off  on  account  of  these 
words  and  their  supposed  meaning.  I  believe  nothing  stands 
more  in  the  way  of  converts  from  other  denominations,  and 
especially  such  of  their  ministers  as  are  worth  having,  than 
the  required  use  of  these  words  in  our  baptismal  service. '  * 

"  I  had  no  idea  of  writing  at  such  length  when  I  began. 
But  my  heart  is  full  of  anxiety  for  the  future  of  our  Church, 
and  I  have  written  from  a  full  heart.  Whatever  reception 
these-suggestions  may  meet  with,  liberavi animam  meam.  May 
the  God  of  our  fathers  give  us  grace  to  act  wisely  in  this  great 
crisis  of  our  Church  i  May  he  enable  us  who  are  like  minded 
to  be  of  one  mind  and  heart  in  the  defence  of  his  precious 
Gospel,  and  whatever  of  trial  or  of  suffering  may  be  before  us, 
to  stand  in  an  unbroken  front,  striving  together  for  the  faith  of 
the  Gospel. 

"  Most  faithfully  your  friend  and  brother, 

"  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  "t 

*  Bishop  Potter's  "  Memorial  Papers,"  p.  155. 
f  The  Italics  are  the  author's. 


342  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year  the  following  corre- 
spondence took  place  between  Bishop  Cummins  and  a 
presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Re- 
vision and  Reform,  leading  to  a  separation,  such  as  fol- 
lowed five  years  later,  were  urged  upon  him.  The 
bishop's  views  held  at  that  time  upon  this  mighty 
question  are  frankly  given  to  his  friend. 

"  Paterson,  February  12,  i86g. 
**  Right  Rev.  Geo.  David  Cummins,  D.D.: 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  The  Clerical  Associa- 
tion listened  with  great  interest  to  your  letter  to  the  Bishop  of 
Illinois,  and  at  the  close  of  its  session  passed  unanimously  the 
following  resolution,  offered  by  myself  : 

' '  'Resolved.,  That  this  Association  has  heard  with  satisfac- 
tion the  correspondence  of  Bishop  Cummins  with  Bishop 
Whitehouse,  and  that  they  cordially  approve  of  the  principles 
advanced  by  Bishop  Cummins  ;  and  that  they  will  stand  by 
him  in  their  maintenance  and  defence.* 

**  I  refer  to  the  right  to  advocate  the  interests  of  Evan- 
gelical societies  in  another  diocese. 

"  As  in  another  part  of  your  letter  you  appear  to  disap- 
point the  present  Reformers  in  the  Church,  allow  me  to  pre- 
sent to  you  the  reasons  which  induce  a  number  of  presbyters 
and  laymen  to  seek  such  reform  as  will  result  in  public  action 
very  soon. 

"  We  have  resolved  to  revise  the  Prayer  Book,  and  to 
modify  the  Episcopal  system  of  our  Church.  What  I  shall 
say  is  with  entire  respect  for  yourself  ;  with  admiration  for 
your  recent  bold  stand  for  a  pure  Gospel  ;  and  with  the  belief 
that  the  Lord  intends  that  you  shall  be  of  great  service  in  the 
deliverance  of  his  people  from  an  intolerable  spiritual  bond- 
age. 


LETTER    TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  343 


The  writer  enters  at  large  upon  the  reasons  which 
necessitated  a  Reform  and  Revision  ;  among  others, 
the  hopelessness  of  reform  in  the  House  of  Bishops, 
an  Order  which  history  showed  had  almost  uniformly 
resisted  needful  changes,  as  instanced  in  their  treat- 
ment of  the  Reform  Bill  in  England  ;  the  rapidly 
diminishing  proportion  of  moderate  bishops,  and  the 
hopelessness  of  the  election  of  others  like  minded  ;  the 
rapid  spread  of  the  doctrines  of  an  essential,  exclu- 
sive. Episcopal,  tactual  succession,  of  divine  right, 
and  of  a  human  priesthood,  with  their  cognate  sacra- 
mental and  sacerdotal  errors  ;  the  deliberate  and 
scornful  action  of  the  General  Convention  with  respect 
to  the  petitions  of  numerous  venerable  and  distin- 
guished clergymen  and  laymen  for  greater  liberty  of 
action  in  the  line  of  rubrical  relaxation,  and  of  cour- 
teous, fraternal  relations  with  non-Episcopal  minis- 
ters, on  whose  credentials  the  Holy  Ghost  had  set 
his  indisputable  seal  ;  the  official  condemnation  under 
most  humiliating  circumstances,  of  a  zealous  clergy- 
man for  preaching  in  a  non-Episcopal  pulpit  without 
contiguous  rectorial  permission,  while  at  the  same 
time  semi-Romish,  mediaeval  ceremonies  and  doctrines 
were  practised  and  taught  without  rebuke,  and  the 
offenders  permitted  to  sit  as  legislators  on  equal  terms  ; 
the  frequent,  growing  secessions  of  the  laity  to  other 
Communions  from  loss  of  confidence  in  the  Protestant- 
ism of  the  clergy,  and  their  conviction  that  reform 
was  impossible  within  the  Church  ;  the  refusal  of  Ro- 
man Catholic  converts  in  Brazil  to  use  the  Prayer 
Book,  from  the  presence  of  "  Romanizing  germs" 
therein  contained,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  secession 
to  a  more  Protestant  communion  of  a  devoted  mis- 


344  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

sionary  forbidden  to  vary  the  language  of  the  offi- 
ces— showing  the  inherent  inability  of  this  Church  to 
lead  to  the  light,  that  vast  portion  of  Christendom 
shrouded  in  spiritual  darkness  ;  the  failure  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to  affect  the  great  West 
to  any  important  extent  after  a  trial  of  a  generation  ; 
the  growing  policy  of  the  majority  to  crush  out  the 
Evangelical  party,  and  to  get  possession  of  their  par- 
ishes by  harassing  and  hampering  the  clergy  as  far 
as  practicable,  and  thus  driving  them  from  the  fold  ; 
the  desire  of  great  multitudes  in  the  land  for  a  free 
and  moderate  Episcopal  Church,  with  a  truly  Protest- 
ant, Biblical  liturgy  ;  the  thinning  out  of  the  ranks  of 
the  Low  Church  party  by  the  death  of  Rising,  Par- 
vin,  Bishop,  and  others,  which  made  it  imperative  to 
organize  a  separation,  while  there  was  a  sufficient  nu- 
cleus of  determined,  fearless  Protestants  left  within 
this  Church. 

After  the  enumeration  of  these  reasons  for  such  a 
.  movement,  the  writer  proceeds  : 

"  In  this  controversy  which  Bishop  Whitehouse  has  raised, 
it  appears  to  me  that  the  Lord  has  indicated  Chicago  as  the 
place,  and  the  present  as  the  time,  and  that  you  are  the 
bishop  he  has  elected  to  effect  the  most  important  ecclesias- 
tical reformation  since  that  of  the  sixteenth  century.  What, 
•  my  dear  bishop,  is  the  work  in  Kentucky,  with  so  ineffective 
and  lame  a  Church  ;  with  your  hands^  so  tied  ;  with  the  lead- 
ing divines  of  your  diocese  opposing  your  principles  ;  and 
with  the  prospect  of  the  results  of  your  years  of  labor  being 
overthrown  by  a  Ritualistic  successor  ?  What  is  the  prospect 
compared  with  such  a  field  and  mission  as  in  this  Church, 
which  is  certain  to  be  formed,  and  very  soon  ?  .  .  .  I 
want  some  of  our  bishops  to  take  part  in  the  work.     I  want 


LETTER   TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  345 


a  more  scriptural  and  primitive  Episcopacy  than  we  have. 
We  must  not  be  obliged  to  go  to  the  Moravians  for  a  succes- 
sion, if  a  succession  is  thought  necessary.  Let  some  of  our 
overseers  have  the  spirit  of  Elijah,  John  the  Baptist,  and 
Paul,  bearing  persecution  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  conferring 
not  with  flesh  and  blood,  and  stimulating  those  who  are  ready 
to  follow  a  bold  and  undaunted  leadership  in  spreading  a 
pure  Gospel  ;  not  wood,  hay,  and  stubble,  but  gold  and  pre- 
cious stones. 

"  When  a  Church  forsakes  the  spirit  and  principles  of  the 
Word  of  God,  as  our  Church  did  formally  at  the  last  Con- 
vention, with  no  prospect  of  retracing  its  steps,  its  bishops, 
presbyters,  and  laity  are  absolved  from  allegiance  to  it.  I 
feel  bound  to  withdraw  from  it.  .  .  .  I  am  resolved  that 
my  remaining  years  shall  be  spent  in  more  effective  work,  not 
hampered  as  they  have  been  by  serving  traditions,  counte- 
nancing destructive  errors,  and  upholding  unfit  men  in  au- 
thority ;  but,  standing  fast  in  the  '  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
has  made  me  free,'  to  serve  God  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
and  according  to  the  light  and  grace  granted  me. 

"  I  am,  my  dear  bishop,  with  the  highest  respect  and  re- 
gard, your  servant  in  the  Lord, 

"  Mason  Gallagher." 

In  response  to  this  letter  Bishop  Cummins  writes 
thus  : 

"  Pewee  Valley,  Kv.,  March  ii,  1869. 

"  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  Your  letter  of  Feb- 
ruary 1 2th  has  been  lying  in  my  portfolio,  read  and  re-read 
with  the  deepest  interest  and  solicitude.  I  have  not  answered 
it  because  I  felt  scarcely  able  to  grapple  with  all  the  great 
questions  it  gives  rise  to,  nor  do  I  yet  feel  that  I  can  see  my 
way  clear  to  a  solution  of  the  mighty  issues  that  it  raises. 

"  I  have  lamented  most  deeply  the  divisions  among  the 


346  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


ranks  of  the  evangelical  men  on  matters  of  policy,  while  we 
all  were>agreed  on  great  principles  ;  and  I  have  earnestly 
desired  that  whenever  the  day  should  come  that  we  were  de- 
nied a  place  in  this  Church  of  our  fathers,  that  we  should  act 
as  a  unit  and  present  an  unbroken  front  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord. 

"  Your  letter  reveals  to  me  facts  of  which  I  have  been 
totally  ignorant,  such  as  that  some  of  our  best  clergy  are  on 
the  point  of  leaving  us,  and  that  we  were  losing  many  valua- 
ble laymen,  who  are  conscientiously  impelled  to  leave  us. 
These  are  indeed  startling  facts,  and  should  compel  us  to  most 
serious  consideration  of  our  dangers  and  the  duties  before  us. 
You  tell  me,  moreover,  that  a  number  of  our  brethren,  clergy 
and  laity,  have  resolved  to  wait  no  longer,  but  will  take  mea- 
sures to  establish  at  once  an  Evangelical  Episcopal  Church. 

"  If  this  is  undertaken  with  only  a  single  desire  to  glorify 
God,  and  to  uphold  the  pure  and  blessed  Gospel,  impelled  by 
conscience  and  seeking  earnestly  divine  guidance,  none  can 
fail  to  respect  such  motives,  however  they  may  differ  as  to  the 
wisdom  of  their  course.  For  myself,  I  regret  the  withdrawal 
of  every  Evangelical  man  from  our  ranks,  already  so  thinned, 
and  if  there  is  sufficient  ground  for  the  withdrawal  of  any 
number  of  Evangelical  men  from  our  Church,  there  is  ground 
for  the  withdrawal  of  all. 

"  The  question  then  arises,  Is  there  such  ground  ?  For 
myself,  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  believe  this,  and  as  far  as 
I  have  been  able  to  learn  their  views,  it  is  the  belief  of  such 
noble  Evangelical  men  as  Bishops  Mcllvaine,  A.  Lee,  H.  W. 
Lee,  and  other  bishops.  What  changes  of  opinion  the  rapid 
movements  of  the  day  may  have  effected  I  know  not." 

The  bishop  then  proceeds  to  give  his  reasons  for 
seeking  within  the  Church  the  needed  reforms,  as 
given  elsewhere  in  his  letters,  and  adds  : 


LETTER    TO  BISHOP  BEDELL.  347 

' '  We  all  admit  that  the  dominant  party  in  our  Church  up- 
hold and  countenance  serious  error,  deadly  error,  error  that 
obscures  the  glory  of  the  Gospel  and  dishonors  Christ.  I  be- 
lieve most  firmly  that  a  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  freed 
of  all  High  Churchism,  would  be  a  mighty  power,  and  by  God's 
blessing  a  great  success  in  this  land  ;  and  it  may  be  that  God 
designs  that  such  a  Church  shall  be. 

"  Would  it  not  be  wise  to  call  a  Congress  of  all  Evangeli- 
cal men — bishops,  clergy,  and  laity — and  discuss  the  subject 
ot  our  duty  to  God  in  this  great  crisis.  Let  us,  dear  brother, 
so  act  that  we  can  confidently  look  for  his  blessing  upon  our 
labors. 

"  May  God  bless  you,  and  all  our  dear  brethren,  and  give 
you  wisdom  to  act  so  as  to  promote  his  glory  and  the  success 
of  his  precious  Gospel  among  men. 

"  I  am,  most  faithfully  yours, 

"  George  D.  Cummins. 
"  The  Rev.  Mason  Gallagher,  Paterson,  N.  y." 

We  have  additional  evidence  here  of  the  pressure 
brought  to  bear  upon  Bishop  Cummins  to  take  active 
measures  in  the  work  of  Reformation.  His  language 
clearly  shows  how  he  clung  to  the  Church  of  his  love 
as  long  as  there  was  any  hope  of  improvement  from 
within,  and  how  fully  he  had  deliberated  upon  the 
condition  of  affairs.  As  was  natural  to  a  nature  such 
as  his,  he  looked  to  the  older  evangelical  bishops  to 
take  any  decisive  step,  and  patiently  waited  the  lead- 
ings of  Providence  in  the  deliverance  of  his  sorely 
tried  and  afflicted  Church. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

AFTER  THE  DARKNESS — LIGHT. 

"  For  the  Lord  God  will  help  me  ;  therefore  shall  I  not  be  con- 
founded :  and  I  know  that  I  shall  not  be  ashamed." — IsAIAH,  50  :  7. 

"  Truth  lives  :  for  this  Christ  died  ; 
And,  e'en  though  crushed  to  earth 
Shall  rise  again,  reglorified, 
Child  of  immortal  birth  !" 

Aged  47. 

IN  response  to  the  letter  to  Bishop  Bedell,  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  writes  as  follows  to  Bishop  Cummins  : 

"  Cincinnati,  May  21,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  A  letter  yesterday  from  Mr.  French, 
editor  of  the  Standard  of  the  Cross,  moves  me  to  write  you. 
He  writes  that  he  has  received  your  indorsement  of  my  letter 
on  the  Prayer  Book,  and  after  speaking  strongly  of  your  '  cor- 
dial and  eloquent '  indorsement,  he  says  he  fears  that  the 
strength  of  sympathy  expressed  for  our  doubting  brethren  (as 
to  conscience,  I  suppose),  and  also  the  length  and  strength  of 
your  advocacy  of  rubrical  relaxation,  will  give  strength  to  the 
secessionists  and  neutralize  the  effect  of  what  I  have  said. 

"  He  writes  also  that  Bishop  C (of  Rhode  Island)  has 

in  a  few  lines  expressed  his  'unqualified  approval.' 
Now,  my  dear  bishop,  as  the  great  object  is  to  show  a  com- 
pact front  on  the  great  points  made  in  my  letter,  and  in  that 
there  is  a  tenderness  towards  the  doubting  brethren,  and  a 
certain  measure  of  concession — as  to  revision,  etc. — and  there 


AFTER    THE  DARKNESS— LIGHT.  349 

would  be  difference  among  us  as  to  relaxation  (how  much, 
etc.  .  .)  and  to  speak  much  on  that  head  now  is  not  called 
for  by  the  object,  and  that  is  not  with  you  or  me  a  question 
so  much  of  conscience  as  of  expediency  and  wisdom,  I  suggest 

that  you  allow  Mr.  F to  omit  all  except  the  indorsement, 

or  that  you  send  him  a  revision  of  your  letter  modified  ac- 
cording to  the  above. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  Chas.  P.  McIlvaine." 

Immediately  following  the  above  letter  came  this 
from  Bishop  Bedell  : 

"  May  27,  1869. 
"  Mv  Dear  Brother  :  Mr.  French  has  forwarded  me 
your  letter  of  response,  with  a  proof-sheet  of  the  notice,  which 
its  length  compelled  him  to  insert.  I  am  indebted  to  you, 
as  to  all  the  brethren,  for  so  readily  entering  into  the  scheme 
for  making  Bishop  Mcllvaine's  letter  a  rallying-point.  Your 
elaborate  and  very  able  argument  will  come  into  play  when 
the  time  has  come  for  discussing  the  question  of  Revision.  It  is 
probable  that  the  question  will  be  broached  in  our  next  House 
of  Bishops.  Your  communication  would  then  become  the 
basis  of  as  strong  an  argument  as  can  be  made  on  that  side  of 
the  question.  .  .  .  The  Lord  give  you  good  success  in 
your  arduous  mission.     Believe  me,  dear  brother,  yours, 

"  G.  T.  Bedell." 

On  the  3d  June,  1869,  Bishop  Cummins  received  a 
long  and  most  eloquent  and  earnest  letter  from  the 
Rev.  Charles  Edward  Cheney,  Rector  of  Christ 
Church,  Chicago,  in  which  he  announces  the  fact 
that  he 

"  was  to  be  tried,  and — as  the  bishop  assures  me — deposed,  for 
omitting  the  phrase  in  the  Prayer  Book  office  for  infant  bap- 
tism which  ascribes  regeneration  to  the  act  of  baptism." 


350  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Mr.  Cheney  regrets  deeply  that  Bishop  Mcllvaine 
did  not  in  his  letter  advise  a  revision  of  the  Prayer 
Book,  and  also  regrets  that  Bishop  Cummins's  reply 
to  it  was  not  published,  and  that  he  indorsed  Bishop 
Mcllvaine's  letter. 

Bishop  Cummins's  letter  was  published  in  The 
Standard  of  the  Cross,  in  full,  June  26th,  1869. 

At  this  time  a  prominent  layman  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church — one  who  had  contributed  largely  of 
his  means  towards  her  support,  and  who  was  deeply 
attached  to  her  as  the  Church  of  his  parents,  and  in 
which  he  had  been  a  working  member  for  twenty 
years — writes  : 

"  In  regard  to  the  contest  now  going  on  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  I  assure  you,  dear  bishop,  I  take  a  deep  interest, 
and  see  no  way  out  of  it  but  a  separation.  The  dead  now 
are  joined  to  the  living,  and  it  does  not  seem  to  me  that  it  is 
possible  for  the  body  to  be  one — with  such  a  difference  in  the 
spirit.  And  now  I  must  thank  you  for  your  ministrations 
here,  which  did  us  all  much  good.  Not  a  day  passes  with- 
out some  of  the  instructions  and  sermons  which  you  gave  us 
coming  to  my  mind.  Though  my  professional  engagements 
prevented  me  from  hearing  you  always,  yet  I  was  greatly 
benefited. 

"  Yours  very  sincerely,  S.  A.  F . " 

Among  the  many  letters  received  by  Bishop  Cum- 
mins in  reference  to  his  "  letter,"  is  the  following 
from  a  presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  : 

"  Chicago,  June  26,  1869. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  this  moment  finished  read- 
ing your  admirable  letter  to  Bishop  Bedell.     It  is  noble,  mag- 


AFTER   THE  DARKNESS— LIGHT.  35 1 

nanimous,  unanswerable.  To  say  just  what  I  think,  I  must 
affirm  that  it  is  more  truly  apostolic  in  its  scope  and  spirit 
than  that  of  any  of  the  reverend  fathers  on  the  same  subject. 
You,  for  one,  write  like  a  true  bishop,  thank  God  ! 

' '  For  this  letter  you  have  the  sincere  gratitude  of  a  man  who 
is  not  seriously  troubled  with  conscientious  scruples  in  the  use 
of  any  expressions  in  the  Prayer  Book,  but  who  eagerly  desires 
a  Church  that  is  so  catholic,  yet  so  evangelical,  so  true  to  Christ, 
yet  so  suited  to  this  age  and  country  as  to  make  it  in  reality 
the  Church  of  America.  This  I  verily  believe  our  beloved 
Church  may  become  by  a  little  wisdom — at  the  present  junc- 
ture— in  its  rulers  and  legislators.  In  my  opinion  you  have 
the  power,  under  God,  to  accomplish  great  things  for  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

"  Affectionately  your  son,  H.  N.  P . , 

"  Right  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

July  3d,  1869,  Bishop  Cummins  was  gladdened  by 
the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  Rev,  Mr.  Cheney,  of  Chi- 
cago.    We  quote  largely  from  it : 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  Cummins  :  I  have  been  hoping  every 

day  to  see  your  letter  to  Bishop  Bedell  in  print.     Mr.  P 

sent  me  a  copy,  but  I  only  received  it  late  last  evening.  I 
think  I  need  hardly  say  that  I  thank  you  for  it  from  the 
depths  of  my  soul.  We  have  had  some  differences  of  opinion 
in  days  past,  my  dear  bishop,  but,  as  I  said  last  evening,  '  I 
may  be  cast  out  of  the  Church  of  my  inheritance,  my  educa- 
tion, and  my  settled  preference  ;  I  may  be  unable  to  testify 
my  appreciation  of  this  noble  letter  in  the  way  I  would  like  ; 
but  I  shall  love  and  revere  Bishop  Cummins  to  my  dying  day.' 

"  There  seems  to  have  been  on  the  part  of  most  of  the 
evangelical  bishops — unless  it  be  Bishop  Johns  and  Bishop 
Henry  W.  Lee — a  strong  impression  that  those  who  were  de- 
sirous of  liturgical  revision  only  made  it  a  cloak  of  their  com- 


352  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

plete  alienation  from  the  whole  system  of  our  Church.  Such 
is  not  the  case.  Even  with  the  most  advanced  men  among  us 
there  is  a  love  for  the  Episcopal  Church  which  cannot  be 
quenched,  and  you  alone  of  the  evangelical  bishops  have 
seemed  to  understand  us,  and  to  give  us  credit  for  a  sincere, 
honest  desire  for  such  measure  of  relief  as  would  enable  us, 
without  sacrifice  of  loyalty  to  God  and  the  Bible,  and  the  su- 
premacy of  enlightened  conscience,  to  be  equally  loyal  to  the 
Church  of  our  fathers.  .  .  .  May  God  ever  bless  you, 
my  dear  bishop,  both  for  the  manly  Christian  utterances  of 
your  published  letter,  and  also  for  your  kind  and  sympathetic 
personal  letter  to  me. 

"  Affectionately  and  truly  yours, 

"  Chas.  Edwd.  Cheney." 

Another  letter  came  at  this  time,  and  is  as  follows  : 

"Christ  Church  Rectory,  Bay  Ridge,  L.  I.,) 
July  I,  1869.  \ 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  only  just 
seen  your  noble  and  truly  manly  letter  which  was  sent  in  reply 
to  the  request  of  Bishop  Bedell.  Permit  me,  as  one  deeply  in- 
terested, and  concerned  not  a  little  in  the  present  difficulties 
regarding  which  Bishop  Mcllvaine  has  written,  to  send  you  a 
word  of  heartfelt  thanks  for  your  faithful  plea  in  behalf  of 
suffering  in  which  you  yourself  have  no  share.  It  is  very  seldom 
in  our  day  that  men  in  any  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ  can 
so  lay  aside  personal  feeling  and  personal  experience  as  that 
they  can  enter  into  the  full  sympathy  of  another's  position 
and  plead  for  them  as  you  have  done.  In  fact,  dear  bishop, 
did  you  not  distinctly  state  in  your  letter  that  '  you  are  not 
one  of  the  class  for  whom  you  are  pleading,'  I  should, 
from  the  clearness  and  pathos  with  which  you  enter  into 
their  feelings  most  surely  have  considered  you  as  in  suf- 
fering  with  them.       But  it  is  not    my  intention  to  review 


AFTER    THE  DARKNESS— LIGHT.  353 

your  letter,  but  only  to  add  my  word  of  thanks  for  the  unselfish 
and  able  plea  you  have  made  for  just  that  which  in  charity  to 
her  ministers  and  people,  and  in  fidelity  to  her  Lord,  our 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  must  do — or  else  drive  off  from 
her  a  very  large  and  useful  baud  of  her  sons,  most  dearly  de- 
voted to  her  ways. 

'*  Believe  me  affectionately  yours, 

"  J.   A.   ASPINWALL." 

In  the  record  of  Bishop  Cummins's  official  work  we 
find  the  following  entry  : 

"  Sunday,  July  4,    1869. — I    preached    twice  in  Trinity 
Church,  Chicago,  my  former  and  beloved  charge  in  that  city." 

In  the  summary  of  his  work  we  find  the  number  of 
persons  confirmed  from  May,  1868,  to  May,  1869,  was 
405  ;  sermons  and  addresses,  142.  Since  his  consecra- 
tion in  1866  twelve  new  churches  had  been  erected, 
four  new  churches  were  in  progress,  one  had  been 
enlarged,  and  four  new  churches  were  projected. 
Thus  in  all  twenty-one  new  church  edifices  have  been 
completed,  or  are  in  progress,  or  are  soon  to  be 
commenced  within  the  diocese — more  than  one  half 
the  number  of  church  buildings  existing  before  May, 

1866,  within  the  diocese.  In  the  city  of  Louisville, 
including  Portland,  the  number  of  our  places  of  wor- 
ship has  been  doubled  within  two  years.     In  May, 

1867,  there  were  but  six ;  in  May,  1869,  there  are 
twelve.'^ 

Before  he  left  home  for  the  East,  Bishop  Cummins 
received   several   letters,  of   which    we  give   copies. 

*  See  "  Journal  of  Diocesan  Convention  of  Kentucky  for  1869." 


354  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


The  first  is  from  Rev.  Richard  Newton,  of  Philadel- 
phia : 

"  Philadelphia,  July  9,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  ...  I  have  just  now  finished 
the  reading  of  your  right  noble  and  manly  letter  to  Bishop 
Bedell,  and  cannot  rest  until  from  the  very  bottom  of  my 
heart  I  have  thanked  you  for  that  letter.  They  declined 
publishing  it  with  the  others,  ostensibly  on  the  ground  of  its 
length  J  but  it  is  manifest  that  it  was  the  strength  of  the  letter 
rather  than  its  length  which  caused  it  to  be  withheld.  Dear, 
good  Bishop  Mcllvaine's  letter  is  all  very  well,  so  far  as  it 
goes,  but  it  doesn't  touch  the  real  point  of  difficulty  at  all. 
Conscientious  men  of  this  day  and  generation  cannot  shelter 
themselves  behind  the  views  which  the  Reformers  and  other 
good  men  have  held.  We  shall  not  have  to  answer  before 
God  for  the  views  of  others,  but  for  our  own  views.  '  Every 
man  shall  give  an  account  of  himself  to  God. '  And  after  all 
that  can  be  said  of  the  different  theories  that  may  be  forced 
on  the  words  '  regenerate,'  etc.  in  our  service  for  infant  bap- 
tism, the  natural  legitimate  construction  to  put  upon  it — the 
construction  which  any  honest  jury  of  twelve  men,  with  no 
theory  to  maintain  on  the  subject,  would  put  upon  it — is  that 
it  does  teach  the  horrible  dogma  that  spiritual  regeneration  is 
inseparably  connected  v/ith  the  use  of  baptism.  And  when 
honest,  conscientious,  God-fearing  men  can  take  no  other 
view  of  the  language  of  that  service  than  this,  what  can  they 
■  do  but  refuse  to  use  it  be  the  result  what  it  may  ?  The  re- 
jected expressions  of  this  service,  always  a  burden,  have  at 
length  become  a  loathing.,  an  abhorrence,  to  the  minds  of 
many  men.  If  the  choice  were  forced  upon  them  of  continu- 
ing to  use  these  expressions  or  of  laying  down  their  lives,  they 
would  infinitely  prefer  the  latter  course.  I  ant  myself  in  thorough 
sympathy  with  those  ivho  feel  thus.  If  Bishop  Whitehouse 
should  proceed  in  brother  Cheney's  case,  as  he  has  said  he 


AFTER    THE   DARKNESS— LIGHT.  355 

would,  to  the  extent  of  deposition,  it  will  create  a  degree  of 
excitement  in  our  Church  such  as  has  never  been  witnessed. 
The  penalty  will  be  so  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  offence  that 
public  opinion  in  this  country  will  not  allow  it.  It  will  be 
like  cutting  off  a  man's  head  because  he  has  a  sore  finger.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  reasonable  penalty,  if  there  is  to  be  any 
at  all  for  such  an  offence,  would  be  for  a  bishop  to  prohibit 
a  man  from  using  the  service  for  infant  baptism  until  either 
he  would  agree  to  use  it  as  it  stands,  or  relief  be  granted  to 
meet  the  emergency. 

' '  I  have  said  above  that  public  opinion  will "  not  allow  of 
the  course  there  indicated.  I  do  not  believe  the  civil  law 
will  sustain  it.  If  I  were  thus  dealt  with  I  should  instantly 
carry  the  matter  into  the  civil  courts.  But  thanking  you 
again  for  your  admirable  letter,  and  praying  for  God's  richest 
blessing  to  rest  on  you,  I  remain,  affectionately  yours, 

"  Rich'd  Newton." 

Another  presbyter  writes  feelingly  and  earnestly 
thus  : 

"  Chillicothe,  III.,  July  14,  1869. 
' '  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins  : 

"  Very  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  just  read  your  letter  to  Bishop 
Bedell  in  the  Episcopalian,  and  I  cannot  help  thanking  you 
for  your  noble  defence  of  the  evangelical  clergymen  in  the 
Church.  You  have  stated  plainly  and  feelingly  the  position  and 
demands  of  those  of  us  who  desire  revision  as  a  relief.  I  am 
glad  you  have  given  the  history  of  old  attempts  at  '  Revision.' 
I  well  remember  Bishop  Hobart's  efforts  at  defining  the  word 
'  regenerate  '  in  1826  and  1827,  and  which  has  alone  enabled 
me  to  use  the  term  with  any  degree  of  quietness. 
For  forty  years  I  have  been  compelled  to  define  and  ex- 
plain away  this  error.  I  only  wait  to  see  what  the  will  of  the 
Lord  is  ;  ready  to  go  out,  if  need  be,  or  to  remain  to  do  bat- 


356  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

tie  for  truth,  whichever  may  be  the  indication  of  the  divine 
will.  Oh  !  had  our  Evangelical  bishops  stood  up  for  Jesus  in 
the  Chicago  Conference  and  saved  the  Church.  But  I  shall 
never  forget  your  honest  defence,  or  cease  to  honor  you  for 
your  other  noble  efforts  in  the  cause  of  truth.  I  thank  God  for 
one  bishop  who  may  be  of  '  Apostolic  succession  '  in  fealty  to 
Christ  and  his  Gospel  of  salvation.  May  he  give  you  strength 
and  courage  to  speak  out  in  this  crisis  ;  and  to  lead  the  little 
band  of  disciples  who  love  Christ  and  his  Gospel  more  than 
sacerdotal  power  or  favor.  The  cause  is  God's,  and  glorious. 
' '  Truly  and  affectionately  yours,         W.  Y.  J . ' ' 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

INHIBITION   OF  BISHOP  WHITEHOUSE. 

"  I  do  not  ask,  O  Lord  !  that  life  may  be 
A  pleasant  road  ; 
I  do  not  ask  that  thou  wouldst  take  from  me 
Aught  of  its  load  ; 

For  one  thing  only,  Lord,  dear  Lord,  I  plead, 
Lead  me  aright — 

Though  strength  should  falter,  and  though  heart  should  bleed- 
Through  peace  to  light." 

^  Adelaide  Procter. 

Aged  47. 

BISHOP  CUMMINS  had  arranged  to  take  charge 
of  St.  Paul's  and  Emmanuel  Churches,  Boston, 
for  the  months  of  August  and  September  of  this  year. 
He  also  had  planned  to  visit  Chicago  again  on  his 
way  to  Boston,  and  fill  the  pulpit  of  Trinity  Church. 
He  left  "  Oak  Lea"  the  latter  part  of  July  for  Chi- 
cago. 

We  give  here  a  letter  in  its  order  of  date,  which 
was  replied  to  by  the  bishop  before  leaving  Ken- 
tucky : 

"  220  East  Fifty-Eighth  Street,  New  York,  ) 
July  14,  1869.  ) 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Bishop  :  Allow  one  who 
is  a  stranger  to  you  to  congratulate  you  on  your  letter  of  last 
May  addressed  to  Bishop  Bedell.  I  congratulate  you  because 
you  have  had  the  Christian  manliness  to  resist  the  outrageous 
attempt  to  bring  the  episcopal  influence  of  the  Evangelical 


358  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

bishops  to  bear  upon  the  minds  of  honest  men,  to  compel 
them  to  suppress  their  conscientious  convictions.  I  congrat- 
ulate you  because  of  the  position  you  have  won  for  yourself, 
not  only  in  the  opinion  of  those  whose  conscientious  convic- 
tions you  have  shielded  and  whose  rights  you  have  so  ably  de- 
fended ;  but  also  in  the  good  opinion  you  have  won  for  your- 
self in  the  estimation  of  all  right-minded  men  within  and  with- 
out the  Church.  And  I  congratulate  you  because  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  corrupting  influences  that  so  unhappily  surround 
our  Episcopate  have  not  yet  turned  your  head  or  narrowed 
your  spirit. 

"  The  fact  is  impressing  itself  more  and  more  fully  on 
observant  minds  in  the  Evangelical  party  that  we  are  not 
only  to  have  a  Revised  Prayer  Book  but  a  Reformed 
Church.  This  means  a  neiv  Church.  The  Lord  is  working 
out  the  problem.  Our  Evangelical  bishops  must  not  think 
that  they  can  stand  in  the  way  and  stay  the  progress  of  this 
movement.  Before  they  know  it,  the  swelling  wave  will  sweep 
over  them,  and  past  them,  and  will  leave  them  high  and  dry, 
without  friends  and  supporters,  in  the  old  Romanized  Church. 
In  my  judgment  the  new  Church  is  a  fixed  fact.  The  men  are 
deeply  in  earnest  who  are  working  and  praying  for  this  thing, 
and  their  numbers  are  on  the  increase,  and  when  we  get  our 
new  Church  we  want  its  foundations  laid  solid  on  the  Word  of 
God,  and  its  doors  opened  wide  enough  to  receive  within 
them  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  We  hope  to  see  it, 
with  God's  blessing,  the  Church  of  this  land. 

"  Hoping,  my  dear  bishop,  that  in  God's  providence  you 
may  be  led  to  think  as  we  do,  and  to  cast  in  your  lot  amongst 
us,  I  remain,  yours  truly,  "  B.  B.  Leacock." 

To  those  who  knew  Bishop  Cummins  most  in- 
timately it  is  needless  here  to  say  that  he  was  very 
far  from  indorsing  Dr.  Leacock' s  position  at  that 
time.  His  whole  heart  was  with  the  Church  of  his 
choice,  within  whose  pale  he  had  labored  for  so  many 


INHIBITION  OF  BISHOP   WHITEHOUSE.  359 

years  ;  and  he  still  held  firmly  to  the  opinion  that  the 
Reformation  so  needed  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  xvas  to  be  acconiplisJicd  ivitJiin  her  fold.  To 
this  opinion  he  held  with  consistent  firmness,  hoping 
against  hope  ;  seeing  each  new  year,  as  it  dawned,  the 
great  wave  of  error  encroaching  farther  and  farther  ; 
and  as  the  years  died,  to  find  even  men  of  hitherto 
moderate  views  swept  along  with  the  tide.  With  a 
heart  full  of  sadness,  but  with  all  the  force  of  his 
great  eloquence,  and  the  strength  born  of  pure,  deep 
love  for  the  Church  of  which  he  was  a  chief  pastor, 
and  which  he  so  longed  to  see  cleansed  of  her  im- 
purity, he  labored  on,  setting  up  his  voice  against 
the  Romish  errors,  which,  like  the  great  arms  of  the 
octopus,  were  grasping  the  Church  with  a  force  not 
to  be  resisted.  To  those  who  have  said  that  he  ought 
to  have  fought  the  battle  within  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  we  have  only  to  bid  them  go  back  with  us  to 
his  ministerial  life  in  Virginia,  Washington,  Baltimore, 
and  Chicago,  to  listen,  as  year  after  )'ear  he  preach- 
ed only  Christ  and  him  crucified  !  How,  even  in 
those  days,  when  High  Churchism  had  not  brought 
forth  its  legitimate  fruit  of  ritualism,  he  steadily  op- 
posed any  thing  that  could  be  interpreted  into  sacer- 
dotalism, or  the  holding  of  any  such  doctrine  as  bap- 
tismal regeneration.  He  taught  from  the  pulpit  and 
in  private  life  that  he  was,  in  the  fullest  sense,  a  Prot- 
est a?it  minister.  He  never  failed  to  let  all  know  his 
true  position.  Yet,  coupled  with  this  strong  evangel- 
ical teaching,  there  was  so  much  in  him  of  the  charity 
that  "  is  kind,"  that  those  of  entirely  opposite  views 
loved  and  respected  him.  No  words  were  too  strong 
to  express  his  abhorrence  of  such  teachings  as  were 


360  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

heard  regularly  from  many  Protestant  (?)  pulpits,  yet 
no  one  ever  heard  an  unkind  epithet  from  his  lips. 
Earnestly  absorbed  in  his  work,  he  was  only  bent  on 
doing  the  will  of  him  who  had  chosen  him  for  this  work. 
As  the  years  rolled  by,  and  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  became  more  and  more  supplanted  by  the 
gorgeous  ritual  and  offensive  dogmas  of  Rome,  Bishop 
Cummins  was  led  to  think  that  tliere  was  but  one  way 
to  act.  His  whole  nature  was  averse  to  strife,  and  he 
came  to  believe  that  for  the  sake  of  peace,  as  well  as 
consistency,  he  must  go  out  from  the  Church  in  which, 
twenty-seven  years  before,  he  had  so  solemnly  prom- 
ised to  be  a  faithful  minister  !  What  a  contrast  from 
the  days  when  the  young  deacon  and  presbyter  took 
those  vows  !  Then  the  beautiful  but  simple  ritual  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  impressed  all  with  its 
Scriptural  simplicity  and  dignity.  Now,  the  strange 
new  "altars"  and  "super-altars,"  the  "crosses" 
and  "candlesticks,"  the  "credence-tables,"  the  ge- 
nuflexions and  crossings,  the  forms  used  in  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  Romish  terms  of 
"  holy  eucharist, "  the  "holy  sacrifice,"  "matins," 
"vespers,"  "mass,"  "chasubles,"  "maniples," 
"albs"  and  "birettas,"  "priests,"  and,  worse  than 
all,  the  avowed  belief  in  the  "  real  presence"  and 
"baptismal  regeneration,"  fills  every  true  Protest- 
ant heart  with  sadness.  Were  one  to  have  witnessed 
the  scene  in  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Wilmington,  in 
October,  1846,  and  then  slept,  and  awaked  to  see  the 
pomp  and  show  attending  an  ordination  in  New  York, 
or  any  one  of  the  cities  of  this  great  country  in  1878, 
would  they  have  believed  it  possible  that  it  was  the 
same  Church  ? 


INHIBITION  OF  BISHOP   WHITEHOUSE  36 1 

The  invitation  to  fill  the  pulpit  of  Trinity  Church, 
Chicago,  for  several  Sundays,  had  come  from  the 
vestry.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Sullivan  was  absent,  taking 
his  summer  vacation,  and  the  vestry  and  congregation 
naturall}'  wished  to  have  their  former  pastor  fill  his 
place.  When  Bishop  Whitehouse  learned  of  this 
invitation,  on  the  part  of  the  vestry  of  Trinity,  he 
visited  some  of  the  members  and  urged  them  to  re- 
voke the  invitation,  saying  :  "A  vestry  had  no  right 
to  invite  a  clergyman  to  fill  the  pulpit  of  any  church 
in  the  absence  of  the  rector,  unless  the  bishop  of  the 
diocese  approved  of  the  clergyman  invited."  On 
learning  of  Bishop  Whitehouse's  opposition  to  his 
preaching  in  Trinity  Church,  Bishop  Cummins  wrote 
to  the  vestry  declining  to  fulfil  his  engagement.  On 
receiving  Bishop  Cummins's  letter  one  of  the  vestry 
— and  an  influential  man — wrote  thus  : 

"  Chicago,  July  20,  1869. 

"  Dear  Bishop  :  This  morning  I  have  yours  of  the  17th. 

You   had  not  then  received  mine  of  same  date.     I  trust  that 

the   explanations   therein   will    prevail    on    you  to  fulfil  your 

engagement  as  originally  expected.     One  of  the  congregation 

was  so  indignant  on  hearing  of  Mr.  W 's  letter  and  the 

bishop's  course  that  he  said  '  he  would  leave  the  church  ;'  but 
I  satisfied  him  that  seven-eighths  of  the  vestry  were  right  on 
the  question;  and  would  not  release  you  on  any  terms  from 
your  engagement.  I  told  him  I  thought  he  might  expect  to 
hear  you  next  Sunday,  though  I  could  not  say  what  your  con- 
clusion would  be  ;  but  believed  you  had  manliness  enough 
not  to  relinquish  a  duty  to  our  congregation  because  your 
presence  was  not  desired  by  our  bishop.      I  trust  you  will  be 

here.     Mr.  H informed  me  yesterday  that  he  had  written 

Aou  that  the  resolution  of  the  vestry  was  '  for  you  to  fill  the 


3^2  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

engagement.'      The  bishop  wished  the   vestry  to  meet  last 

evening,  that  he  might  appear  before  them.     This  Mr.  H 

declined  to  do  ;  but  said  if  the  bishop  insisted  he  would  con- 
vene the  vestry  Friday  evening.  The  slip  inclosed  to  you 
was  published  here  in  two  papers.  We  shall  not  allow  any 
such  explanation  from  you  to  remain  in  the  dark.  Rev.  Mr. 
Cheney  wishes  you  to  preach  for  him.  I  am  happy  to  say 
that  the  people  in  this  city,  in  and  out  of  our  Communion,  are 
thoroughly  awake  to  this  matter.  Press  and  people  are  with 
you.  Our  bishop  is  feeling  the  pressure,  and  is  moving  with 
all  his  energy  to  have  his  way.  Now,  my  dear  sir,  do  not,  I 
pray  you,  desert  us,  but  come  and  occupy  Trinity  Church 
pulpit.  It  is  the  wish  of  nine-tenths  of  your  old  parishoners, 
and  they  as  well  as  myself  will  be  sorely  grieved  and  disap- 
pointed if  you  do  not.  .  ,  .  Matters  are  fast  assuming  a 
serious  point.  The  deposition  of  Bishop  Whitehouse  will 
have  to  take  place,  or  a  disgrace  will  attach  itself  to  our  Church 
all  over  this  Union,  and  cause  us  who  are  attached  to  its 
creeds  and  formulas — as  understood  by  our  venerated  fathers 
— to  hang  our  heads  in  sorrow  and  shame. 

"  The  hands  of  the  laymen  are  tied  ;  but  to  you  who  are 
bishops  belong  the  duty  to  right  us.  Who  is  a  more  fit  person 
to  move  in  this  matter  than  yourself  ?  I  am  to  you  a  com- 
parative stranger,  and  have  no  right  to  speak  thus  frankly  ; 
but  my  heart  is  full  and  I  must  utter  the  honest  convictions  of 
my  mind. 

"  May  God  give  you  the  light  of  wisdom  to  point  out 
clearly  your  duty  in  the  controversy  going  on  in  our  Church, 
and  strengthen  you  to  act  under  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and  not 
of  man. 

"Yours  truly,  G.  S.  H ." 

This  letter  was  followed  by  one  from  Bishop 
Whitehouse,  which  we  give  verbatim : 


INHIBITION  OF  BISHOP   WHITEHOUSE.  363 

"Chicago,  July  20,  1869. 

"  To   the   Right  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Kentucky : 

'  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  :  I  am  informed  that 
on  Friday  evening  last,  by  a  majority  of  one  of  the  vestry  of 
Trinity  Church,  in  this  city,  after  a  discussion  lasting  through 
two  meetings,  you  have  been  invited  to  fill  the  pulpit  of  that 
church  for  certain  Sundays  during  the  absence  of  the  rector. 

"  It  has  involved  the  direct  issue  before  that  body  whether 
the  earnest  advice  of  the  bishop  should  be  followed,  not  to 
venture  on  this  dangerous  course  ;  or  whether,  in  defiance  of 
that  course,  an  invitation  should  be  extended  to  you,  which, 
with  full  knowledge  of  the  facts,  you  have  solicited. 

"  This  is  connected  with  a  train  of  interference  in  my  dio- 
cese— of  official  and  personal  attack  on  myself — which  has 
largely  tended  to  disturb  its  harmony  and  create  vexed  ques- 
tions of  springing  bitterness. 

' '  The  aggression  of  last  winter,  against  which  a  protest 
was  raised  in  vain  not  only  by  myself  but  by  the  unanimous 
voice  of  the  Standing  Committee,  might  have  an  explanation 
of  some  weight  in  your  esteem. 

"This  continued  aggression  of  the  present  can  admit  of 
none.  It  has  degenerated  into  incidents  which  subject  you 
to  imputations  of  malevolent  feeling,  as  well  as  of  the  disregard 
of  what  is  gentlemanly  and  courteous.  The  principles  which 
are  involved  in  this  interference  and  aggression  I  mean  to 
submit,  as  you  are  aware,  for  such  adjudication  by  our  peers 
as  they  may  deem  to  be  expedient. 

"  I  have  avoided,  as  far  as  in  me  lay,  pursuing  its  issues 
through  any  personal  altercation. 

"  I  shall,  under  no  circumstances,  resort  to  any  penal 
charges,  how  satisfied  soever  I  may  be  that  reasonable  cause 
for  the  same  may  exist. 

"  I   must  content  myself,  in  the  name  of  God  and  his 


364  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Church,  with  entering  my  solemn  protest  against  acts  and 
temper  so  derogatory  to  the  dignity  of  our  office,  our  confid- 
ing brotherhood,  the  peace  of  the  Church,  and  the  well-being 
of  the  portion  of  it  committed  by  the  Great  Head  to  my  un- 
worthy charge. 

"  I  therefore  hereby — as  far  as  I  can,  to  give  it  lawful  and 
moral  weight,  and  violating,  I  trust,  no  just  claim  of  fraternal 
courtesy  in  the  painful  exigency  so  pertinaciously  thrust  upon 
me — do  protest  against  your  visiting  my  diocese  to  officiate  in 
any  manner  within  its  bounds. 

"  And  may  the  blessed  and  merciful  Lord  forgive  us  each 
for  our  mistakes  or  misdoings  in  these  humiliating  issues. 

"  Remaining  faithfully  yours  in  our  common  bonds, 

"  Henry  J.  Whitehouse,  Bishop  of  Illinois.'' 

To  this  letter  Bishop  Cummins  sent  a  simple  state- 
ment, saying  ' '  that  several  weeks  before,  the  vestry 
of  Trinity  Church  had  written  to  ask  him  to  fill  their 
pulpit  in  the  absence  of  their  pastor.  That  he  had 
not  for  a  moment  supposed  that  Bishop  Whitehouse 
would  object  to  any  bishop  or  presbyter  preaching 
in  Illinois  ;  but  that  just  as  soon  as  he,  Bishop  Cum- 
mins, learned  of  the  great  opposition  on  the  part  of 
Bishop  Whitehouse,  he  wrote  to  the  vestry  declining 
to  fulfil  his  engagement.  That  members  of  the  vestry 
wrote,  urgently  begging  him  to  preach  for  them,  as 
he  had  promised,  and  that  finally  Bishop  Cummins 
consented  to  fill  the  pulpit  of  Trinity  Church  one  Sun- 
day." Accordingly  he  and  Mrs.  Cummins  left  Pe- 
wee  Valley  Friday  afternoon,  July  23d,  reached  Chi- 
cago the  24th,  and  the  bishop  preached  twice  on 
Sunday,  25th,  for  his  old  friends,  and  were  the  guests 
of  one  of  the  vestry.  On  Monday,  26th,  they  left  for 
Boston. 


INHIBITION  OF  BISHOP   WHITEHOUSE.  365 

The  excitement  and  indignation  manifested  in  Chi- 
cago was  very  great  and  widespread  against  the 
course  of  Bishop  Whitehouse.  He  brought  the  mat- 
ter before  the  House  of  Bishops  at  its  next  meeting  ; 
but  the  general  feeling  was  so  great  in  that  body 
against  Bishop  Whitehouse's  conduct  that  it  was  not 
even  discussed.  The  months  of  August  and  part  of 
September  were  passed  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  at  the 
Divinity  School  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
The  students  were  all  away  on  their  vacation,  and  the 
dean — the  Rev.  Dr.  Stone — kindly  placed  two  of  the 
pleasant  rooms  at  Bishop  Cummins's  disposal.  There 
they  spent  several  happy  weeks,  living  in  true  Euro- 
pean style,  caring  for  themselves  and  enjoying  the  quiet 
and  privacy  of  that  beautiful  place,  with  Dr.  Stone 
and  his  family  for  their  near  neighbors.  The  second 
week  in  September  they  went  to  Manchester,  Mass., 

where  they  were  the  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  S , 

whose  exquisite  country  home  was  most  fully  enjoyed 
in  the  congenial  society  of  their  valued  friends. 
Bishop  Cummins  went  from  thence  to  Baltimore,  and 
then  returned  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  constantly 
engaged  in  his  duties.  He  visited  Maysville,  Flem- 
ingsburg.  Mount  Sterling,  Cynthiana,  Paris,  Harods- 
burg,  Danville,  Richmond,  Lancaster,  and  Elizabeth- 
town. 

The  latter  part  of  October  Bishop  Cummins  re- 
turned to  the  East.  We  find  the  following  entries  in 
his  journal  of  official  work  : 

"  October  31,  1869. — Preached  in  St.  Ann's  Church, 
Brooklyn,  in  the  morning  ;  at  night  addressed  a  meeting  in  the 


366  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Church  of  the  Incarnation,  New  York,  in  behalf  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Education  Society. 

''November  7. — Preached  in  Emmanuel  Church,  Balti- 
more, and  at  night  lectured  in  St.  Peter's,  in  the  same  city. 

"  November  9,  10,  11. — At  Anniversaries  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Societies  in  Philadelphia. 

''November  14. — Preached  in  the  morning  in  Trinity 
Church,  Washington,  D.  C.  ;  in  the  afternoon  in  St.  John's, 
Georgetown,  D.  C,  and  at  night  in  Christ  Church,  George- 
town, and  confirmed  eleven  persons." 

The  record  of  work  during  the  winter  was  as  usual 
a  full  one.  During  the  summer  Bishop  Cummings 
received  a  long  letter  from  his  friend  and  brother 
Bishop  Clarkson.    We  quote  some  portions  of  it  : 

"Omaha,  July  29,  1869. 
"  My  Dearly  Beloved  Brother  :  It  is  no  doubt  true 
that  a  fellowship  in  misfortune  makes  us  '  wondrous  kind. ' 
Like  you  I  had,  for  no  good  reason  whatsoever,  except  fidelity 
in  my  duty  to  the  diocese,  fallen  under  the  ban  of  our  brother 
of  Illinois,  and  for  fifteen  years  suffered  as  patiently  as  I 
could  under  his  misrepresentations  and  assaults.  But  entirely 
independent  of  the  fact  that  we  have  both  suffered  alike,  I 
think  with  all  reasonable  people  that  you  have  .  been  very 
badly  treated,  and  I  rejoice  that  you  had  the  courage  to  stand 
up  for  your  rights.  However,  I  think  that  he — Bishop  White- 
house — has  entirely  overstepped  himself  in  his  assaults  upon 
you.  The  idea  of  charging  you  with  '  malevolence  '  and 
*  want  of  courtesy'  is  so  supremely  ridiculous  to  all  who  know 
you  that  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  the  judgment  of  all  sensi- 
ble men.  I  only  write  to  you  to  beg  you  not  to  be  worried 
about  this  painful  business.  I  know  how  a  sensitive  and 
gentle  nature  like  yours  shrinks  from  such  an  appearance  of 
quarrelling  with  a  brother  bishop,  or  with  atiy  one  ;  but  you 


INHIBITION  OF  BISHOP   WHITEHOUSE.  3^7 

may  be  sure  that  every  one  who  knows  you,  knows  that  you 
would  not  do  injustice  to  a  dog,  much  less  to  a  fellow-man 
and  a  brother  bishop. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  poor  Cheney  must  go  to  the  wall.  And 
it  is  indeed  a  sad  thing  that  an  earnest,  devoted,  and  success- 
ful minister  of  Christ  can  be  trampled  out  of  line  by  a  man 
who  has  done  more  than  any  man  in  the  American  Church  to 
defy  its  law.  Nothing  but  the  clemency  and  loyalty  of  the 
Illinois  clergy  saved  him  from  trial  in  days  gone  by.  I  some- 
times think  now  that  it  should  be  done  in  order  to  vindicate 
before  the  world  the  power  of  the  Church  over  unworthy 
occupants  of  her  highest  seats.  I  think  he  should  be  present- 
ed for  trial  for  false  teaching.  In  this  question  of  veracity 
between  himself  and  Cheney,  as  to  the  latter's  admission  or 
non-admission  of  the  omission  of  the  words  '  regenerate  '  or 
'  regeneration  '  there  may  be  an  opportunity  of  presentment. 

"  I  received  some  time  since  Miss  L 's  wedding  cards, 

and  now  send  her,  though  tardily,  my  hearty  congratulations. 
.  .  .  With  much  love  to  the  family,  and  the  deepest  sym- 
pathy for  yourself  in  this  conflict,  I  am,  as  ever,  your  attached 
brother,  "  Robert  H.  Clarkson." 

Bishop  Clarkson  refers  in  this  letter  to  the  mar- 
riage of  Bishop  Cummins 's  eldest  daughter,  who  on 
June  15th,  1869,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Thomas 
Chalmers  Peebles,  M.D.,  of  Dublin,  Ireland. 

A  letter  received  by  Bishop  Cummins  from  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  belongs  to  this  period  in  the  life  of  the 
former. 

"Cincinnati,  August  25,  1869. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  not  known  where  to  address 
you  since  I  last  wrote,  and  said  I  had  not  seen  any  account  of 
what  new  crime  at  Chicago  had  brought  on  you  the  new  '  in- 
hibition' of  the  Bishop  of  Illinois.     Soon  after  getting  home. 


368  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

some  ten  days  ago,  I  saw  your  account  of  the  matter.  The 
only  thing  I  question  about  it  is  the  expediency,  in  the  excited 

state  of  things  in  Chicago,  of  your  going  to  preach  in  C 's 

church,  or  anywhere  there.  But  that  is  no  excuse  for  the 
extravagantly  wrong  and  ill-advised  course  of  the  bishop.  It 
would  be  most  strange  if  he  should  bring  such  a  matter  before 
our  House,  and  if  he  did,  if  any  respectable  number  of  bishops 
should  side  with  him  ! 

"  I  hope  you  will  attend  the  meeting  October  14th.  Bishop 
Smith  has  written  me  that  he  will  not  be  present.  Dr.  Whit- 
aker  is  to  be  consecrated  about  the  same  time,  and  I  believe 
in  St.  George's.     Be  present  then^  as  I  shall  have  to  preside. 

"  I  have  just  read  an  article  in  the  Church  Witness  or^  the 
state  of  things  in  our  Church,  which  I  think  is  from  you. 
My  sympathies  are  with  it.  Perilous  times  for  our  Church 
ARE  AHEAD  AND  NEAR.  /  believe  fully  relief  is  needed,  and 
rightly  demanded  for  the  consciences  of  our  brethren,  by  some 
revision  of  the  Prayer  Book.  After  our  letter  is  not  some- 
thing MORE  needed  to  give  aid  and  countenance  to  some  effort 
for  some  change  ? 

"  It  is  not  true,  as  the  papers  say,  that  I  have  prepared 
any  thing  ;  but  there  is  a  '  multitude  of  thoughts  within  me  ' 
about  what  ought  to  be  done. 

"  Yours  affectionately, 

Chas.  p.  McIlvaine." 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

HOME   LIFE. 

"  Therefore,  whatso'er  betideth 
Night  or  day — 
Know  his  love  for  thee  provideth 

Good  alway. 
Crown  of  sorrows  gladly  take, 
Grateful  wear  it  for  his  sake  ; 
Sweetly  bending  to  his  will, 
Lying  still." 
From  the  German  ^/Charles  Rudolph  HagenbACH. 

Aged  47. 

WE  give  extracts  from  letters  written  by  Bishop 
Cummins  at  this  time  to  his  wife,  that  the 
reader  may  have  a  ghmpse  into  his  "  home  Ufe,"  so 
soon  to  be  broken  up  ! 

The  first  letter  is  dated  : 

"  Oak  Lea,  October  12,  1869. 

"  I  am  at  home  agam  at  dear  Oak  Lea  !  All  is  so  lovely 
and  sweet  in  nature  that  no  words  can  tell  how  deep  has  been 
my  longing  to  have  you  here.  I  left  Paris  at  eleven  o'clock, 
and  reached  the  station  here  at  5.40  p.m.      Dear  G  was 

there  with  '  Nellie  '  and  the  carriage  to  meet  me,  with  a  happy 
and  smiling  face.  We  drove  home,  but  it  was  quite  dark  be- 
fore we  arrived  at  the  house.     The  windows  were  all  alight 

with  their  welcome,  and  darling  L gave  me  a  most  loving 

reception.  The  house  looked  so  bright  with  the  lamps  all  lit 
and  fires  burning.     Soon  we  had  supper.     The  table  and  rooms 


370  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

were  adorned  with  our  own  beautiful  flowers — heliotropes, 

geraniums,  verbenas,  etc.,  just  like  sweet  L "s  thoughtful 

care  and  taste.  Then  we  gathered  around  the  fire  and  had  a 
long  talk  of  our  journeyings,  the  church  here,  and  many 
other  things.  G had  to  go  up  to  Covington  on  the  mid- 
night train  to  meet  Mr.  T for  a  surveying  excursion  to 

do  some  work  for  the  new  bridge  to  be  rebuilt  at  Cincinnati  ; 
so  we  sat  up  late.  The  place  is  in  excellent  order  ;  most  of 
the  trees  are  yet  green  ;  some  are  turning — the  black  gum  and 
dogwood,  crimson  ;  the  sweet  gum,  yellow  ;  and  the  maples  on 
the  south  among  the  locusts  are  beginning  to  be  tipped  with 
scarlet.  The  flowers  are  still  lovely  ;  the  geraniums  in  the 
rustic  vase  are  splendid  in  size  and  beauty,  the  American 
hemlock  is  flourishing,  and  the  wistaria  and  honeysuckle  most 
luxuriant.  The  grass  is  still  beautifully  green  on  the  lawn. 
I  have  been  over  to  the  church  :  it  is  a  gem,  and  I  am  so  glad 
it  is  so  beautiful.  I  am  going  to  try  to  have  it  finished  by 
Christmas,  and  will  take  charge  of  it  myself  for  the  present, 
and  give  what  the  congregation  can  pay  to  an  assistant.  As 
I  write  I  look  out  from  the  dining-room  windows  into  the 
grounds,  and  the  view  is  perfectly  beautiful.  The  trees  with 
their  many-colored  leaves  are  really  gorgeous  in  their  rich 
coloring.     Oh  !  that  you  were  here  to  enjoy  it." 

In  a  letter  dated  October  17th,  1869,  written  at 
Elizabethtown,  he  says  : 

"  I  wrote  you  last  from  Richmond.  That  evening  I 
preached  again,  and  the  next  morning  at  four  o'clock  rose  to 
take  the  cars  for  Lancaster.  We  were  behind  a  freight  train, 
and  were  five  hours  going  twenty-five  miles  !  We  reached 
Lancaster  at  ten  o'clock,  and  went  to  the  house  of  Colonel 

D ,  and  there  had  breakfast.     Lancaster  is  a  new  post  in 

our  mission  work  in  Central  Kentucky,  and  we  have  only  a 
handful  of  Episcopalians  there,   the  chief  of  whom  is   Mrs. 


HOME  LIFE.  17 1 


-,  Colonel  D 's  daughter.     In  the  evening  we  held 


service  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  I  preached  and  con- 
firmed one  person.  Most  of  the  people  there  had  never  seen  an 
Episcopal  service  before,  and  were  not  a  little  surprised  at 
our  vestments.     The  next  day  at  seven  o'clock  we  took  the 

train,  Mr.  G leaving  me  at  Danville  station,  and  I  went 

on  to  Louisville.     I  arrived  at  two  o'clock,  and  found  G 

awaiting  me  with  your  letter.  He  told  me  of  his  being  sent 
to  Covington  to  superintend  the  building  of  the  bridge  over 
the  Licking  River,  and  that  he  would  have  to  remain  there 
some  weeks.     This  is  a  great  responsibility  for  one  so  young, 

and  shows  how  he  has  gained  the  confidence  of  Mr.   T 

already.     We  will  miss  him  sadly  at  home,  though  we  ought 

to  rejoice  at  his  success.     I  dined  at  Dr.  P 's,  and  had  a 

talk  with  him  of  Church  matters.  I  learn  that  the  feeling  in 
some  of  the  churches  towards  me  is  very  bitter,  and  that  they 
are  making  great  complaints  of  my  absence  this  summer  and 
of  my  receiving  payment.  This  seems  the  refinement  of 
cruelty — to  give  me  nothing  to  live  upon,  and  then  blame  me 
for  receiving  enough  to  keep  us  from  suffering  !  But  God 
will  overrule  it  all.  I  have  no  fears.  I  left  Louisville  at  five, 
and  reached  here  at  seven.  The  church  here  is  almost  a 
cipher.  I  preached  this  morning,  and  am  to  preach  again  to- 
night.    I  found  a  letter  from  Walter  W here,   asking  me 

to  hold  a  confirmation  for  him  on   the    14th   November,    if 

Bishop  W will  consent.     Thank  you  for  every  word  of 

those  twenty  pages  !  Such  a  balm  to  my  soul  when  others 
treat  me  so  bitterly  !  But  I  ought  to  rejoice  at  their  persecu- 
tion, for   it    is  endured  for  /lis  name's  sake,  and  his  precious 

truth's  sake.     I  read  it  over  after  talking  with  Mr.  ,  and 

it  soothed  me  like  sweet  music.  God  bless  you  !  I  am  most 
grateful  to  God  on  learning  of  your  being  able  to  walk  so  far 
and  feeling  so  strong.  Oh  !  that  you  may  be  fitted  for  active 
work  in  his  Church  in  the  future." 


372  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

In  another  letter  he  writes  : 

"Oak  Lea,  October  26,  1869. 

"  I  wrote  you  from  Elizabethtown,  and  that  evening 
preached  again  to  a  very  full  church.  Yesterday  I  returned 
to  Louisville,  and  after  attending  to  some  business  took  the 
train  for  Pewee  Valley.     I  reached  dear  Oak  Lea  about  dusk 

— the  house  was  lighted  up,  and  L and  the  Doctor  ready 

to  receive  me.  All  looked  delightful,  and  in  the  bay-window 
I  found  quite  a  little  greenhouse.  The  Doctor  had  brought 
in  the  geraniums  ;  besides  these  there  was  your  rustic  vase, 
two   baskets,  and   the  Kenilworth  ivy.     The   azalea   is  full 

of  buds  for  winter  blooming.     L handed  me  Rev.  Mr. 

Matlack's  letter  of  October  13th,  and  after  mature  reflection 
and  prayer  I  decided  to  accept  the  invitation.  I  wrote  chang- 
ing the  time  of  my  visitation   to  Versailles  and  Georgetown, 

as  it  will  make  no  difference  to  Mr.  V ;  he  will  only  have 

a  longer  time  to  prepare  his  class  for  confirmation.  I  inclose 
a  sweet  letter  from  Dr.  R.  Newton,  and  have  accepted  Mrs. 

S 'skind  invitation.   I  am  so  glad  I  can  now  see  G in 

Covington.  I  want  to  look  after  his  comfort  and  try  to  make 
him  feel  at  home  among  our  church-people.  To-morrow  I 
go  to  Louisville  to  attend  the  meeting  of  our  Board  of  Mis- 
sions, and  will  be  occupied  all  day.     L and  the  Doctor 

long  to  have  you  back,  and  send  their  warmest  love." 

Bishop  Ciimmins's  Annual  Report  for  the  year 
ending  May  22,  1870  (see  Report  of  Diocesan  Conven- 
tion of  Kentucky,  1870),  contains  the  following  sum- 
mary : 

"  Parishes  visited,  58  ;  confirmations,  38  ;  number  con- 
firmed, 301  ;  sermons  and  addresses,  211  ;  baptisms,  83.  In 
May,  1866,  number  of  clergy  in  active  parochial  and  mis- 
sionary work  was  twenty-four  ;  May,  1870,  the  number  is 
thirty-five.     In  May,  1866,  the  number  of  church  buildings  in 


HOME  LIFE.  373 


the  diocese  was  hvciity  ;  in  1870,  thirty-five.  Number  of  rec- 
tories was  yfrr  in  i866_;  it  is  now  nine.  The  communicants 
then  numbered  two  thousand  four  hundred  ;  they  now  will  fall 
little  short  oi  four  thousand.  In  Southern  and  South-western 
Kentucky  the  renewed  life  is  perhaps  most  gratifying.  Now 
Henderson,  Paducah,  Hopkinsville,  Bowling  Green,  Prince- 
ton, Eddyville,  and  the  church  in  Fulton  County  are  all  alive 
and  awake  to  their  great  work,  and  steadily  advancing  in 
strength  and  influence."  "  It  would  be  most  unreasonable 
to  expect  that  our  progress  in  a  diocese  like  this  should  be 
rapid  or  in  any  degree  commensurate  with  the  growth  of  the 
Church  in  the  new  dioceses  of  the  West  and  North-west. 
The  tide  of  emigration  passes  us  by,  .  .  .  while  from 
our  own  diocese  there  is  a  constant  movement  of  our  people 
westward."  "  And  yet  the  growth  of  this  diocese  within  the 
past  four  years  is  such  as  to  call  for  devout  gratitude  to  God, 
and  to  incite  us  to  renewed  exertions  for  the  future  "  "In 
Central  Kentucky  we  need  only  additional  laborers  to  secure 
rich  returns  to  the  Church.  It  will  not  be  long  before  we 
shall  have  church  buildings  in  Richmond,  Lebanon,  and  Lan- 
caster. In  Northern  and  Eastern  Kentucky  there  are  encourag- 
ing tokens  of  progress.  St.  Peter's  congregation,  in  Paris,  is 
building  a  new  church.  The  church  at  Georgetown  is  almost 
ready  for  service.  The  new  mission  chapel  at  Covington  is 
open  for  divine  services,  while  the  parish  of  Trinity  Church, 
Covington,  is  about  to  build  a  new  church  with  a  larger  num- 
ber of  sittings  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  city."  "  In  the  city 
of  Louisville,  Christ  Church  is  about  to  be  remodelled  at  a  cost 
of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  the  new  Grace  Church, 
which  has  stood  so  long  unfinished,  is  to  be  completed  with- 
out delay.  The  Orphanage  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  a  home 
for  orphan  boys  in  the  same  city,  is  to  be  occupied  this  sum- 
mer. A  Church  Home  and  Infirmary  for  the  Sick  and  the 
Aged  will,  I  trust,  be  the  next  great  work  of  charity  to  be  in- 
augurated in  that  city." 


374  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

At  this  time  Bishop  Cummins  received  the  follow- 
ing letter  from  his  valued  friend  Governor  Stevenson, 
of  Kentucky  : 


"  Executive  Department,  Frankfort, 
November  20,  i86g. 


\ 


"  My  Dearest  Bishop  :  Next  to  the  approval  of  his 
conscience  in  the  attempted  discharge  of  official  duty,  nothing 
can  be  more  grateful  to  a  public  servant  than  the  approbation 
of  those  /le  loves,  and  in  whose  candid  judgment  he  can  safely 
rely. 

"  In  this  spirit  I  cordially  thank  you  for  your  warm,  affec- 
tionate, cheering  sanction  of  my  late  Thanksgiving  proclama- 
tion. The  last  paragraph  gave  great  offence  to  the  Jews,  and 
the  Cincinnati  Commercial  thought  proper  to  indulge  in  a 
harsh  criticism.  How  touchingly  dear,  then,  to  the  heart  of 
a  genuine  Episcopalian,  under  such  circumstances,  is  the  ap- 
proval of  his  bishop,  and  especially  when  that  bishop  is  a 
warm,  devoted,  personal  friend  !  If  the  paper  have  no  other 
merit,  it  was  sincere,  at  least,  in  all  its  utterances. 

"  In  these  days  of  demoralization  and  degeneracy  what 
can  we  hope  for  if  the  Christian  soldier  dishonors  his  leader 
by  being  either  afraid  or  ashamed  to  uphold  his  standard 
with  the  priceless,  blood-stained  tenets  emblazoned  upon  its 
radiant  folds  ?  To  have  proclamations  read  in  Christian 
churches  by  God's  ministers  announcing  a  day  of  general 
thanksgiving  for  unnumbered  blessings  and  mercies  from  on 
high,  with  an  omission  of  the  atonement,  as  the  crowning  gift 
of  them  all,  strikes  my  mind  as  a  paradox.  Nay,  more,  it  is 
downright  Christian  cowardice,  only  equalled  by  Peter's 
denial  of  his  Master.  I  pray  God  that  no  such  sin  may  mark 
my  administration.  I  am  pained  to  see  even  in  the  Church 
of  Christ  that  policy  prevails  over  principle  in  commending 
silence  where  Christian  fealty  demands  loud  protest  against 
incipient  errors  and  unwarranted  innovations. 


HOME  LIFE.  375 


"  Bur  I  did  not  sit  down  to  weary  you,  but  merely  to  thank 
you  for  your  cheering  words  in  my  delicate  and  difficult  posi- 
tion of  official  responsibility. 

"  I  want  if  possible  to  be  in  Louisville  on  the  2d,  at  the 
missionary  meeting,  not  to  speak,  but  merely  by  my  presence 
to  testify  my  approval  of  your  course^  and  the  great  cause  of 
Protestantism,  against  dangerous  and  alarming  assaults  upon 
'  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.'  With  kind  greetings  to  your 
family,  believe  me,  dear  bishop,  sincerely  and  affectionately, 

"  J.  W.  Stevenson." 

We  give  below,  verbatim,  a  letter  from  Bishop 
McCoskrey,  of  Michigan,  received  by  Bishop  Cum- 
mins after  his  short  visit  to  the  East  : 

"  Detroit,  November  29,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  ;  At  the  last  meeting  of  the  House 
of  Bishops,  in  New  York,  the  unpleasant  relations  between 
you  and  the  Bishop  of  Illinois  were  brought  to  our  notice. 
It  was  done  in  the  most  delicate  manner  by  the  Bishop  of  Il- 
linois. Your  name  was  not  even  mentioned  nor  a  single  vord 
of  unkindness  uttered.  Of  course  we  had  no  power  to  settle 
or  dispose  of  this  case.     As  a  House  we  refused  to  hear  it. 

"  Meeting  together  for  a  few  minutes  simply  as  bishops, 
without  even  hearing  the  case,  it  was  unanimously  resolved 
that  the  whole  matter  be  placed  in  my  hands,  with  the  wish 
and  hope  that  I  could,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  bring  you  to- 
gether as  Christian  brethren,  and  reconcile  all  your  difficulties 
and  misunderstandings. 

"  My  dear  bishop,  I  felt  deeply  the  kindness  and  confi- 
dence of  my  brethren,  and  thought  if  I  could  only  be  success- 
ful I  should  never  cease  to  give  thanks  to  God.  But,  dear 
bishop,  I  have  no  power,  and  I  can  only  approach  you  as  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  and  rulers  in  his  household.  As  such  I 
write  to  you,  and  ask  you  in  all  kindness  and  affection,  can- 


37^  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

not  I  heal  up  the  wounds  which  have  been  made,  and  remove, 
so  far  as  possible,  the  injury  which  has  been  done  to  our  be- 
loved Church  ? 

"  I  think  that  a  very  few  Christian  concessions  on  your 
part,  and  also  by  the  Bishop  of  Illinois,  would  accomplish 
the  result, 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  go  into  the  merits  of  the  case  without 
an  agreement  that  each  of  you  would  abide  by  my  decision. 
Any  other  course  would  widen  the  breach.  But  I  think  that 
if  you  would  meet  me,  as  Christian  brethren  and  bishops,  and 
simply  express  regret  to  each  other  for  all  that  has  occurred 
— all  this  to  be  kept  to  ourselves — and  simply  say  in  a  little 
note  that  all  the  difficulties  between  you  have  been  adjusted, 
why,  my  dear  bishop,  it  would  send  a  thrill  of  joy  into  a 
thousand  Christian  hearts.  Then  let  us  go  into  the  house  of 
the  Lord  together  and  join  in  offering  the  sacrifice  of  prayer 
and  praise  to  God.  My  dear  bishop,  who  can  estimate  the 
power  such  an  act  would  have  on  the  hearts,  not  only  of 
God's  children,  but  upon  a  sinful  world  ? 

"  Most  affectionately  your  brother  in    Christ, 

"  Samuel  A.  McCoskry." 

Bishop  Cummins's  reply  : 

"  Pewee  Valley,  Ky.,  December  4,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  Yours  of  the  29th  ultimo  is  re- 
ceived. I  appreciate  the  kind  spirit  of  your  letter,  but  I 
think  you  have  failed  to  place  the  issue  between  Bishop 
Whitehouse  and  myself  upon  its  right  basis. 

"  I  have  no  personal  controversy  or  quarrel  with  the 
Bishop  of  Illinois,  have  never  been  a  party  to  such  a  contro- 
versy, and  my  whole  nature  shrinks  from  any  such  thing. 

"  The  difference  between  us  has  its  basis  in  questions  far 
more  vital  and  important.     It  is  a  question  involving  great 


HOME  LIFE.  377 


principles  and  rights  affecting  our  freedom  as  bishops  set  for 
the  defence  of  the  Gospel. 

"  I  went  to  Chicago  in  February,  1869,  at  the  invitation 
of  one  of  the  rectors  of  that  city  to  deliver  an  address  in  be- 
half of  the  Evangelical  Education  Society  ;  a  society  that 
seeks  to  educate  young  men  for  the  ministry  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  and  of  which  I  am  a  patron. 

"  The  Bishop  of  Illinois  opposed  my  going  into  his  diocese 
for  this  purpose,  and  protested  against  the  '  intrusion  '  and 
'  aggression  '  within  his  jurisdiction,  and  induced  his  Stand- 
ing Committee  to  unite  in  such  a  protest. 

"  This  at  once  raised  the  question  of  my  right  to  make 
such  an  address  within  the  jurisdiction  of  another  bishop, 
and  to  this  question  I  could  give  but  one  answer.  The 
canons  of  our  Church  forbid  any  bishop  exercising  any  Epis- 
copal offices  within  the  jurisdiction  of  another  without  his 
consent,  but  limit  the  prohibition  to  official  acts.  But  for  a 
bishop  to  claim  the  right  of  forbidding  any  of  his  brethren 
speaking  within  his  diocese  in  behalf  of  any  lawful  object,  is 
an  assumption  of  power  that  will  never  be  allowed  or  sub- 
mitted to. 

"  I  felt  then  compelled  to  go  to  vindicate  a  right  thus  de- 
nied and  impeached. 

"  I  did  not  go  acting  upon  my  own  individual  judgment. 
I  went  as  the  representative  of  all  who  are  associated  with  me 
in  the  society  in  whose  behalf  I  was  to  appear.  I  went  sup- 
ported by  the  expressed  opinion  of  two  of  our  oldest  and 
wisest  bishops.  These  bishops,  with  others,  have  been  in  the 
habit  for  many  years  of  speaking  in  behalf  of  this  society  and 
others  kindred  to  it,  within  the  jurisdiction  of  bishops  differ- 
ing from  them  in  sentiment,  and  yet  no  one  heretofore  has 
questioned  their  right  to  do  so,  or  raised  any  opposition  to 
their  so  doing. 

"  Indeed,  I  have  made  addresses  in  the  diocese  of  New 
York,  both  before  and  since  the  delivery  of  my  address  in 


378  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

Chicago,  with  no  word  of  protest  from  the  bishop  of  that  dio- 
cese. Thus  much  for  my  visit  to  Chicago  in  February  last. 
In  July  I  was  invited  by  one  of  the  wardens  of  my  old  church 
there  to  preach  in  the  absence  of  the  rector.  Surely  nothing 
could  have  been  more  appropriate  than  that  I  should  occasion- 
ally minister  to  a  congregation  once  so  closely  bound  to  me. 

"  But  even  to  this  the  Bishop  of  Illinois  objected,  and 
sought  strenuously  to  induce  the  vestry  of  the  church  to  deny 
me  access  to  their  pulpit  upon  the  ground  of  my  having  com- 
mitted the  '  aggression  '  of  the  February  preceding.  This 
was  indeed  a  severe  blow  aimed  at  my  reputation  by  the 
Bishop  of  Illinois,  and  had  he  succeeded  would  have  inflicted 
serious  injury  upon  me.  The  vestry  of  Trinity  Church, 
however,  refused  to  yield  to  his  demand,  and  I  ofificiated,  at 
their  request,  to  my  former  flock. 

"  You  will  see,  my  dear  bishop,  that  the  controversy  be- 
tween Bishop  Whitehouse  and  myself  is  an  official  and  not  a 
personal  one.  He  has  made  claims  that  will  never  be  allowed 
by  many  of  his  brethren.  And  if  I  have  violated  any  of  the 
canons  of  the  Church,  or  committed  any  '  aggression  '  upon 
the  rights  of  another  bishop,  the  matter  must  be  adjudicated 
in  the  courts  of  the  Church,  and  not  by  personal  arbitration. 
No  man  will  go  farther  than  myself  in  a  matter  of  personal 
courtesy,  but  in  this  instance  all  personal  considerations  are 
nothing  in  comparison  with  the  great  principles  at  issue. 

"  Thanking  you  for  your  kind  consideration,  I  am  most 
faithfully  yours, 

"  Geo.  D.  Cummins, 

Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky. 
"  Right  Rev.  S.  A.  McCoskry,  D.D.,  Detroit,  Mich.'" 


Soon  after  the  above  letter  was  written  by  Bishop 
Cummins  he  received  the  following  from  his  friend 
Bishop  Mcllvaine  : 


HOME  LIFE.  379 


"Cincinnati,  Decembers,  1869. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  received  your  letter  of  the  4th, 
yesterday,  with  that  of  Bishop  McCoskry  inclosed,  and  your 
answer.  The  former  I  return,  as  you  will  need  to  keep  it. 
The  latter  I  think  yV/x/  the  thing.  ...  I  cannot  but  think 
that  we  Evangelical  bishops  are  put  in  a  very  questionable 
position  before  the  Church  by  being  selected  and  made  to  look 
like  a  '  Committee  of  Vigilance  ' — and  if  we  are  to  seek  disci- 
pline on  bishops  because  we  have  promised  to  '  drive  away 
all  error,'  etc.,  why  should  not  presbyters  who  have  promised 
the  same  thing  seek  discipline  on  presbyters  ?  The  cases  in 
New  York  are  vastly  stionger  than  any  among  the  bishops. 
Why  should  not  Cotton  Smith  and  others  in  New  York  pre- 
ent,  or  seek  to  get  presented,  such  men  as  Dix,  Ewer,  and 
Morrell,  etc.  ? 

*  But  what  times  are  these  !      We  probably  will  outlive 
the  Church  of  England — as  established — and  see  it  divided  ! 
"  Yours  very  affectionately, 

"  Chas.  p.  McIlvaine. 
"Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

WORK   OF    1870. 

"  No  life 
Can  be  pure  in  its  purpose,  and  strong  in  its  strife 
And  all  life  not  be  purer  and  stronger  thereby. 
The  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  on  high — 
The  army  of  martyrs,  who  stand  by  the  throne. 
And  gaze  into  the  face  that  makes  glorious  their  own 
Know  this  surely  at  last.     Honest  love,  honest  sorrow, 
Honest  work  for  the  day,  honest  hope  for  the  morrow — 
Are  these  worth  nothing  more  than  the  hand  they  make  weary  .' 
The  heart  they  have  sadden'd,  the  life  they  leave  dreary  ? 
Hush  !  the  sevenfold  heavens  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit 
Echo :  '  He  that  o'ercometh  shall  all  things  inherit.'  " 

Owen  Meredith. 

Aged  48. 

IT  has  been  before  said  that  the  winter  of  1869-70 
was  the  last  spent  by  Bishop  Cummins  in  his  own 
home.  In  May,  1870,  "  Oak  Lea"  was  sold,  and  he 
and  his  family  removed  to  Louisville.  The  trial  of 
removal  from  his  home  was  the  heavier  because  of  the 
offer  made  by  the  Diocesan  Convention,  through  the 
influence  of  friends,  to  purchase  "Oak  Lea"  as  a 
permanent  Episcopal  residence.  This  offer,  however, 
came  too  late. 

The  spirit  of  persecution  did  not  rest.  Bishop 
Cummins  had,  through  his  own  exertions,  raised 
money  among  friends  in  the  East  to  complete  the 
tasteful  church  in  Pewee  Valley.     The  rector  having 


IVOJiK  OF  1870.  381 

resigned,  the  bishop  wished,  for  a  time,  to  take 
charge  of  the  parish  until  he  could  find  a  suitable 
pastor.  Before  the  little  congregation  occu{)ied  their 
church,  service  was  held  in  a  small  school-house  a 
mile  distant.  Bishop  Cummins  was  kindly  invited  to 
occupy  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  evening,  a 
large  and  tasteful  building.  This  invitation  was  ac- 
cepted, but  the  senior  warden  of  St.  James's  Church 
— a  High  Churchman — objected  to  this,  and  wrote  a 
letter  of  complaint  to  Bishop  Smith.  The  following  is 
Bishop  Smith's  letter  to  Bishop  Cummins  : 

"Frankfort,  Ky.,  December  31,  1869. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  just  received  a  communica- 
tion from  Mr.  V ,  senior  warden  of  St.   James's  Church, 

stating  the  facts,  in  a  very  friendly  manner,  of  certain  ser- 
vices of  yours  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  which  he  and 
others  hold  to  be  in  violation  of  canon  12,  title  i,  sections 
4th  and  6th. 

"  No  one  can  doubt  but  what  you  put  a  different  inter- 
pretation upon  it,  fully  purposed,  as  becomes  our  office,  to 
set  an  example  in  all  such  cases. 

"  It  has  been  a  rule  with  me,  and  I  write  respectfully  to 
inquire  whether  it  would  not  be  wise  and  well  for  you  in  this 
case,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  to  accept  a  more  stringent  inter- 
pretation than  your  own,  and  not  even  seem  to  be  irregular. 

"  Praying  for  peace,  harmony,  and  good-will,  I  remain, 
my  dear  bishop,  very  truly  your  friend  and  brother, 

"  B.  B.  Smith.' 
To  this  letter  Bishop  Cummins  sent  this  reply  : 

"  Pewee  Valley,  January  i,  1870. 
"  My   Dear   Bishop  :  I   am   truly  grieved  to  find   '  the 
senior  warden  of  this  parish  and  others  '   have  taken  excep- 


382  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

tion  to  my  officiating  in  the  Presbyterian  church  in  this  place, 
and  have  charged  it  to  be  a  violation  of  the  canons  of  our 
Church.  The  simple  facts  in  the  case  are  these.  Desiring 
to  do  all  the  good  in  my  power  when  at  home,  I  have  felt  de- 
sirous of  having  a  second  service  on  Sundays,  in  the  evening, 
when  I  might  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  whole  community. 
The  building  used  for  our  services  is  very  uncomfortable, 
unsupplied  with  lamps,  and  is  very  difficult  of  access  to  most 
of  our  own  church-people  ;  so  that  for  several  years  the  ser- 
vice has  been  held  there  only  in  the  morning.  A  night  ser- 
vice there  would  be  almost  out  of  the  question  and  useless. 
On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  November  21st,  I  received, 
through  one  of  the  vestry,  an  invitation  to  occupy  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  night.  I  accepted  the  offer  gladly,  and  an- 
nounced that  I  would  hold  a  second  service  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian church  in  the  evening,  requesting  our  own  church  people 
to  bring  their  Prayer  Books.  They  came,  the  senior  warden 
among  them,  and  the  full  evening  prayer  was  read  with  the 
responses,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Chapman,  of  our  Church,  assisting 
me  in  the  services. 

"  On  Sunday  last  I  officiated  in  the  usual  place  for  our 
own  worship,  made  the  same  announcement  to  the  people, 
and  conducted  the  service  in  the  evening  at  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  the  same  regular  way.  If  our  own  new  church 
edifice  had  been  completed  I  should  have  occupied  it,  with 
the  consent  of  the  rector.  As  to  violating  any  canon,  I 
should  have  been  most  deeply  amazed  had  any  one  suggested 
such  a  thing.  The  second  service  was  a  service  for  the  parish  ; 
the  announcement  was  made  in  the  presence  of  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  vestry  who  are  in  the  parish  ;  they  raised  no  ob- 
jections, but  all  came  and  took  part  in  the  services.  I  con- 
ducted service  as  it  is  always  conducted  in  our  churches,  and 
preached  the  Gospel  as  earnestly  as  it  is  in  my  power  to  do. 
Now  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  charge  against  me  by  the 
senior  warden  of  the  parish  of  violating  the  canons  of  our 


WORK  OF  1870.  383 


Church  ?  The  canon  requires  the  permission  of  the  vestry  to 
the  officiating  of  any  minister  within  their  parish  when  there 
is  no  rector.  But  is  the  complaint  '  that  I  ought  to  have 
asked  and  obtained  the  permission  of  the  vestry  before  mak- 
ing the  announcement '  kind  ?  Surely  this  seems  a  harsh  de- 
mand. If,  even  as  a  bishop,  I  could  not  make  such  an  ar- 
rangement for  services,  was  there  not  much  in  our  relations 
to  each  other  to  cause  the  vestry  to  overlook  this  technical 
offence,  if  it  l>e  an  offence  ?  I  hold  the  relation  to  them  of  a 
chief  shepherd  ;  my  home  is  in  their  midst  ;  I  have  served 
them  often  and  cheerfully  ;  I  have  aided  largely  in  the  effort 
to  build  their  new  and  beautiful  church  ;  my  desire  in  holding 
the  second  service  was  to  do  good  to  the  parish  and  commu- 
nity. Is  it  generous  thus  to  demand  of  me  a  compliance 
with  a  canon  that  under  all  the  circumstances  seems  humiliat- 
ing to  one  in  my  office  and  position  ?  In  my  own  judgment 
the  Church  never  designed  to  place  her  bishops  in  such  a 
painful  position.  As  the  case  now  stands,  before  preaching 
again  anywhere  within  the  nominal  bounds  of  this  parish,  I 
must  go  and  ask  permission  of  the  five  persons  forming  the 
vestry,  and  if  they  forbid  it,  I  cannot  preach  the  Gospel  any- 
where in  this  valley — not  even  in  my  own  house — save  in  the 
old  Methodist  church — now  a  school-house — where  the  regular 
service  of  the  parish  is  held  on  each  Sunday  morning.  Sure- 
ly, my  dear  bishop,  there  are  other  and  higher  canons,  divine 
and  not  human,  which  ought  to  have  been  consulted  ere  the 
charge  was  laid  against  me  of  violating  canon  12,  title  i,  sec- 
tion 6,  in  the  honest  effort  to  do  my  Master's  work. 
"  I  am,  most  faithfully  yours, 

"  George  D.  Cummins. 
"  Right  Rev.  B.  B.  Smith,  D.D." 

In    a    letter  dated    Henderson,   Ky.,    March  27, 
1870,  Bishop  Cummins  tells  ,of  his    "  preaching   Sat- 


384  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

urday  night,  and  making  an  address  in  behalf  of 
Diocesan  Missions  ;"  "of  preaching  again  Sunday 
morning,  and  again  Sunday  night  to  a  dense  throng, 
many  of  them  standing."  "  I  confirmed,"  he  writes, 
"a  class  of  nineteen  persons,  and  expect  to  confirm 
two  persons  to-morrow.  Many  were  men,  and  from 
the  very  best  people  in  the  community  ;  and  now, 
after  confirming  these  two  persons,  my  work  for  this 
visitation  is  done  in  Henderson — lasting  several  days. 
I  trust  it  has  been  a  faithful  work,  certainly  it  has 
been  a  steady  one,  for  I  have  preached  seven  times 
during  my  sojourn  here,  and  five  times  in  Owens- 
boro,  baptizing  four  infants,  administering  the  com- 
munion, and  confirming  twenty-two  persons.  Late  as 
it  is,  I  could  not  go  to  my  rest  without  communicat- 
ing with  you  in  this  quiet  way.  My  earnest  pray- 
ers will  be  offered  for  God's  benediction  upon  you 
and  my  dear  children  this  night. 

From  the  same  place  he  writes,  March  28,  1870 : 

"  This  is  a  morning  of  perfect  beauty  and  brighness 
after  the  rain,  and  my  thoughts  turn  to  dear  Oak  Lea  as 
I  think  how  it  must  look  under  this  bright  sunlight.  I 
remember,  too,  with  sadness  that  I  turn  my  face  again 
towards  the  South-west  this  evening,  and  journey  farther 
away  from  home.  But  duty  calls  me,  and  there  is  work  for 
God  to  be  done  there,  and  so  I  go  with  a  cheerful  spirit.   This 

morning  I  received  a  note  from  Mr.  C ,  telling  me  of  a 

number  to  be  confirmed  and  baptized  at  Caseyville. 

"  I  have  read  in  the  Episcopalian  with  intense  delight  and 
interest  a  reply  to  Bishop  Potter's  '  pastoral,'  by  one  of  the 
'  nine  bishops  :'  it  is  from  Bishop  Alfred  Lee,  and  is  most 
admirable  and  unanswerable.     Do  read  it  carefully.     I  send 


WORK  OF   iZjO-  385 


you  a  few  lines  from  a  poem  by  Owen  Meredith.  They  are 
to  me  very  fine,  and  I  think  you  will  enjoy  them  with  me  : 
they  express  so  beautifully  the  blessedness  of  the  effort  to  do 
good  to  others  ;  to  elevate  and  bless  our  fellow-men.  But  I 
must  conclude  my  letter.  My  fervent  prayers  are  ever 
offered  up  for  you,  and  it  is  an  unspeakable  comfort  to  com- 
mit you  to  God.  May  he  ever  abide  with  you.  Love  to 
my  dear  children." 

In  the  same  letter  he  thus  writes,  out  of  the  ful- 
ness of  his  great  heart  : 

"  I  have  been  intensely  interested  in  reading  the  '  Ameri- 
can Convent. '  I  can  only  exclaim,  after  reading  the  story  of  the 
system  of  deceit,  fraud,  treachery,  immorality,  and  apostasy 
from  God,  '  How  long,  O  Lord,  just  and  true,  how  long  ?  '  I 
feel  like  devoting  my  whole  life  to  the  exposure  of  the  '  mys- 
tery of  iniquity,'  and  fervently  thank  God  that  I  have  been 
able  in  some  feeble  way  to  warn  men  against  the  insidious  ap- 
proaches of  the  awful  iniquity  in  our  Church  !  Oh  !  that  he 
may  break  the  power  of  this  fearful  tyranny  over  the  souls 
and  bodies  of  our  fellow  men  and  women. 

His  next  letter  is  from  Caseyville,  and  is  dated  : 

"Caseyville,  Kv.,  Tuesday  Night,  March  29,  1870. 
"  I  am  writing  to  you  from  this  far-away,  isolated  point  on 
the  Ohio  River,  and  have  had  some  strange  and  novel  expe- 
riences. Before  I  left  Henderson  I  conversed  with  some  of 
the  vestry  concerning  the  interests  of  the  Church,  and  the 
results  have  been  good.  The  steamer  was  due  at  five  o'clock, 
but  it  was  eight  before   we   got  off.     I  was  told   the  boat 

reached  Caseyville  at  t/iree  o'clock  a.m.!     Mr.  C met  me 

and  took  me  in  his  boat  up  a  creek  to  hix  house.      Mr.  C 

and  his  brother  own  coal  mines  here.      They  have  a  village 


386  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

near  them  of  the  miners  and  their  famiUes,  and  employ  one 
hundred  and  twenty  men.     Though  Hving  remote  from  civiU- 

zation  they  are  refined  people  and  most  kind.      Mrs.  C 

has  two  little  daughters,  twins,  named  Faith  and  Hope. 
This  morning  after  breakfast  Faith  came  with  some  wild  flowers 
to  my  room  to  give  me.  At  twelve  o'clock  we  started  in  the 
little  steamer  for  Casey ville,  and  at  2.30  we  had  service  in 
the  Presbyterian  church.  It  was  filled.  I  read  the  service, 
baptized  four  adults  and  one  child,  preached,  confirmed  ten 
persons,  and  addressed  them.     And  this  in  a  place  where  we 

never  had  a  service  before.   Bishop  Smith  was  at  Mr.  C 's 

father's  house  in  1837 — thirty-three  years  ago — but  held 
no  public  service.  To-morrow  I  go  at  eight  o'clock  several 
miles  to  baptize  and  confirm  in  private  an  old  gentleman  who 
is  ill,  then  hold  service  again  at  2.30,  and  also  the  next  day 
at  10.30  o'clock,  and  administer  the  communion,  and  the 
same  evening  take  the  boat  for  Uniontown,  reaching  there 
at  one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  morfiing  !" 

In  another  letter,  written  March  31st,  he  says  : 

"  I  have  never  worked  harder  in  my  life,  being  alone, 
and  such  constant  services.  I  feel  very  weary  with  this  long- 
protracted  and  steady  work.  Yesterday  I  went  four  miles 
further  up  the  creek  in  the  boat,  and  then  rode  some  distance 
to  a  log-cabin,  desolate  in  the  extreme.  Here  out  of  a  tea- 
cup I  baptized  the  old  man,  and  then  confirmed  him  !  We 
got  back  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  at  1.30  started  for  Caseyville, 
and  at  2.30  held  service  and  preached  again.  We  reach- 
ed   Mr.    C 's    at  five,   and  I  would  have  gone  to    bed 

early,  for  I  was  very  tired,  but  four  of  the  miners  came  to 
talk  with  me,  and  they  stayed  until  nine  o'clock.  They  are 
Englishmen,  and  were  very  glad  to  be  present  at  the  services 
of  the  old  Church  again.  This  morning  at  10.30  I  hold  ser- 
vice and  preach  ;  baptize  adults  and  children,  confirm,  and 


WORK  OF  1870.  387 


administer  the  communion.  Then  I  must  wait  until  six  p.m., 
when  I  take  the  steamer  for  Uniontown,  and  reach  there  at 
twelve  o'clock  to-night.  I  feel  that  I  am  doing  my  Master's 
work,  and  this  ought  to  cheer  me." 

From  Fulton  County  he  writes,  May  2,  1870: 

"  I  am  here  far  off  in  the  country,  in  a  quiet  farm-house, 
surrounded  only  by  trees,  and  with  no  sounds  save  the  songs 
of  birds  that  make  the  woods  ceaselessly  melodious.  Satur- 
day evening  I  held  service  and  preached.  Sunday  morning 
dawned  brightly  and  beautifully,  and  early  the  people  began 
to  gather  from  all  the  surrounding  country  from  a  distance  of 
ten  miles.  The  church  was  filled,  and  all  the  grounds 
around.  It  was  a  striking  scene,  and  a  primitive  one.  After 
the  services  the  people  were  dismissed  to  eat  their  dinners — 
which  they  had  brought  in  baskets — in  the  woods  ;  and  were 

again  summoned  at  two  o'clock  to  service.      Mr.  C and 

Mr.  P read  the  service  and  I  preached.     At  eight  o'clock 

we  had  a  third  service,   and  I  confirmed  Rev.  Mr.    P 's 

son.  I  was  very  much  impressed  with  the  good  work  this 
mission  is  doing  among  this  plain  uncultured  people.  The 
school  is  training  the  young  to  love  our  Services  ;  and  the 
chapel  service  will  gradually  bring  them  to  love  our  Church. 
This  morning  is  most  lovely,  and  the  birds  are  singing  on 
every  side.  This  afternoon  Mr.  C drives  me  into  Hick- 
man, nine  miles  distant,  where  I  am  to  stay  until  Wednesday. 
This  bright  beautiful  weather  brings  before  me  Oak  Lea  in 
its  spring  dress,  and  then  I  think  of  our  future  home,  where 
it  is  to  be,  and  try  to  leave  all  in  the  hands  of  God.  I  am 
anxious  to  hear  of  G ,  and  whether  he  got  off  to  Chi- 
cago, but  more  anxious  to  hear  of  your  own  inner  life,  and 
whether  God  in  his  great  mercy  has  granted  you  relief  from 
your  great  sorrow.  Grace,  mercy,  and  peace  from  God  our 
Father  and  Jesus  Christ  be  yours  !" 


388  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

A  farther  glimpse  is  herewith  given  of  a  bishop's 
life  in  the  out-of-the-way  nooks  of  a  western  diocese  : 

"  Hickman,  May  3,  1870. 

' '  I  am  sitting  in  my  room  in  this  little  town,  not  thirty  yards 
from  the  great  and  majestic  Mississippi,  which  is  rolling  on 
most  rapidly,  impressing  you  vividly  with  its  great  force.     I 

am  at  the  hotel,  as  Mrs.  H ,  with  whom  I  always  stay,  is 

in  the  East.  The  town  is  built  on  the  river  bank,  which  is 
gradually  being  washed  away.  On  the  hill  is  a  Baptist  church, 
where  we  hold  services,  bare  and  forlorn.  It  is  dreadful  to 
think  of  people  permitting  a  house  of  God  to  be  in  such  a 
condition,  and  argues  a  low  sense  of  reverence  for  sacred 
things.  Mr.  C drove  me  into  town  yesterday,  and  I  en- 
joyed the  trees  richly.  What  a  contrast  to  turn  from  the 
purity  and  delicacy  of  God's  works  to  those  of  men  !  Is  it 
wrong  thus  to  shrink  from  all  that  is  coarse  and  unrefined, 
I  often  ask  myself.  Is  it  shrinking  from  going  among  those 
to  whom  our  blessed  Lord  ministered  chiefly  ?  I  trust  not. 
I  do  try  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  them  earnestly.  I  preached 
last  night,  and  again  this  morning,  baptized  an  infant,  and 
administered  the  Lord's  Supper.  To-night  I  preach  again. 
To-morrow  go  to  Fulton  Station,  Thursday  to  Mayfield,  and 
Friday  to  Paducah.  Last  evening  I  was  sitting  in  my 
room  at  the  hotel  and  the  servant  came  in — a  young  Irishman 
— and  said,  '  My  Lord,  supper  is  ready  !  '  Would  not  his  lord- 
ship of have  been  delighted  with  the  greeting  ! 

"  You  will  never  know  how  the  life  I  now  lead  binds  me 
to  my  home.  How  I  recur  to  it  in  thought  as  to  an  earthly 
paradise.  It  would  be  a  terrible  trial  to  me  to  have  no  home 
to  return  to,  after  all  my  weary  wanderings  and  heart-sore- 
ness. May  we  think  thus  of  our  Father's  house  of  '  many 
mansions,'  and  seek  to  ripen  in  meetness  day  by  day  for  it, 
and  for  companionship  with  its  blessed  spirits  !     How  many 


WORK"  OF  1870.  389 

are  there,  dear  to  us,  who  love  us  still,  and  will  rejoice  to  wel- 
come us  to  their  heavenly  home  !" 

From  Fulton  Station,  Ky.,  May  5th,  1870,  he 
writes  : 

"  I  am  almost  beyond  the  reach  of  civilization  in  this  out 
of-the-way  place,  on  the  border  line  of  Tennessee,  and  em- 
phatically in  the  woods.  I  have  now  reached  the  very  farthest 
point  in  my  journeyings,  and  to-day  turn  my  face  northward, 
beginning  my  slow  progress  towards  my  home.  I  visited, 
while  at  Hickman,  two  old  ladies,  members  of  our  Church, 
eighty  and  eighty-three  years  of  age.  One  is  insane,  the 
other  very  feeble.     They  are  very  poor,  and  I  shall  write  to 

Dr.  R to  try  to  get  the  insane  one  into  the  asylum  at 

Hopkinsville,  and  will  raise  money  for  the  relief  of  the  other. 
At  six  we  arrived  here.  I  preached  to  a  roomful  of  rude, 
rough  people.  I  had  a  little  table  before  me  ;  on  it  I  put  my 
hat,  and  my  sermon  on  it,  and  thus  I  preached  !  Children 
were  running  about  laughing  during  all  the  service,  and  one 
of  them  came  up  to  my  table,  while  I  was  preaching,  to  get 
some  water  !     Oh  !  it  was  primitive  indeed  !" 

"  Mayfield,  Kv.,  May  6, 
"  I  reached  this  place  at  one  o'clock  yesterday.     It  is  a 
neat  little  town  of  twelve  hundred  inhabitants.     We  held  ser- 
vice in  the  Presbyterian  church,   and  I  preached  to  a  large 

congregation.      We  returned    to  Mr.  T 's,  where   I  am 

staying,  in  a  severe  storm  of  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain. 
I  have  preached  twelve  times  in  eight  days,  and  am  oftentimes 
very  weary  ;  still,  thank  God,  I  am  well.  I  am  trying  to  do 
God's  work  earnestly,  and  to  bear  all  sacrifices  patiently. 
Pray  for  me  continually  that  I  may  not  '  grow  weary  in  well- 
doing.' ' 

From  Paducah  he  writes  : 


390  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"  Your  beautiful  description  of  Oak  Lea  makes  me  long 
inexpressibly  to  get  back  to  my  home  ;  but  I  must,  with  you, 
try  to  wean  myself  from  it,  as  it  is  so  soon  to  pass  from  us. 
It  seems  a  strange  history,  and  I  do  not  care  to  dwell  upon 
it  for  my  own  soul's  good.  I  prefer  to  commit  this,  and  all 
our  interests,  into  the  hands  of  our  loving  Heavenly  Father, 
believing  that  he  has  some  purpose  of  love  in  all  these,  to 
us,  inexplicable  trials.  His  mercies  have  been  so  great  and 
unspeakable  in  the  past,  that  I  cannot  doubt  his  loving-kind- 
ness for  the  future.  Last  night  we  held  service,  and  I 
preached  to  a  large  congregation,  and  to-morrow  I  preach 
twice  and  confirm.     I  have  just  read  your  comforting  letters 

after  waiting  so  long  for  them.     G is  now  in  Chicago.     I 

pray  God  to  prosper  him,  and  raise  him  up  friends  !  I  am 
charmed  with  the  programme  of  the   '  Evangelical  Alliance, ' 

and   am   glad  to  be  associated  with  it.     I  see  Dr.   W 's 

name  (of  Calvary  Church)  is  on  it  :  this  is  a  cause  of  rejoic- 
ing. I  think  your  advice  about  Frankfort  very  wise.  I  do 
not  think  any  thing  will  come  of  that  matter.  A;i}  change 
would  give  me  more  work,  more  care  and  anxiety.  I  should 
greatly  prefer  a  home  at  Pewee  Valley  to  any  part  of  Ken- 
tucky, but  I  am  willing  to  leave  our  future  entirely  in  God's 
hands.     May  all  our  ways  be  ordered  by  him  alone  !" 

In  January  of  this  year  Bishop  Cummins  received 
the  following  letter  : 

"  Diocese  of  Ohio,  Kokosing,  Gambier,  ) 
January  25,  1870.      ) 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Brother  :  A  letter  from 
Bishop  Mcllvaine,  received  to-night,  requests  me  to  invite 
you  in  his  name  to  deliver  the  Baccalaureate  sermon  at  our 
next  Commencement.  I  add  my  own  request  very  earnestly 
to  his,  and  can  also  assure  you  it  will  be  very  agreeable  to 
the  senior  class. 


WORK  OF   1870.  391 

"  I  hope  nothing  will  interfere  with  your  compliance  with 
our  wishes  ;  and  Mrs.  Bedell  and  I  shall  hope  for  the  plea- 
sure of  your  company  at  Kokosing — the  long  anticipated 
visit  ! 

"  Sincerely  and  affectionately  your  brother, 

"  G.  T.  Bedell." 

The  next  letter  from  Bishop  Cummins  is  written 
from  Gambier,  and  is  dated, 

"  y««^  25,  1870. — Through  God's  great  goodness  I  am 
here  safe,  after  a  day  of  much  suffering  from  the  intense  heat 
and  dust.  Bishop  B 's  carriage  was  at  the  station  await- 
ing j>'^«  and  me  !     On  reaching  his  charming  home  I  found 

both  him  and  Mrs.  B at  the  door  to  receive  us.     They 

expressed  ^r^a/  regret  at  not  seeing  you.  I  can  scarcely  give 
you  a  definite  idea  of  Gambier.  It  seems  one  wild  succes- 
sion of  wooded  hills  and  deep  valleys,  with  a  beautiful  stream 
— the  Kokosing — flowing  through  them.  The  bishop's  home 
is  an  elegant  one,  built  of  hewn  and  dressed  stone,  and  fitted 
up  most  tastefully.  The  heat  among,these  high  hills  is  intense, 
and  no  prospect  of  a  change. 

"  June  27. — The  service  at  the  chapel  began  at  7.30,  and 
I  preached  my  sermon.  The  congregation  was  large.  The 
graduating  class  sat  in  front,  and  rose  at  the  close  of  the  ser- 
mon when  I  addressed  them.  I  think  the  sermon  was  calcu- 
lated to  leave  an  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  class  not 
soon  to  be  forgotten.  This  morning  I  went  over  to  the 
Theological  Seminary  with  the  bishop,  to  hear  him  examine 
his  class.  He  is  the  Professor  of  Pastoral  Theology,  and  lec- 
tures during  the  winter.  To-night  there  is  to  be  a  meeting 
of  the  two  literary  societies  in  the  college  at  the  Hall,  and 
we  are  all  expected  to  attend.  I  take  tea  at  President  Tap- 
pan's,  with  the  bishop  and  others,  and  go  from  there  to  the 
exercises  of  the  societies.  The  heat  is  too  great  to  enjoy 
any  thing. 


392  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

"  Gambler^  June  28. — I  have  just  returned  from  an  ex- 
amination of  the  theological  students  at  the  seminary  that 
lasted  from  nine  o'clock  until  half-past  twelve.  I  felt  an  in- 
tense interest  in  hearing  the  examinations  by  the  professors  of 
the  classes,  as  all  the  vital  questions  now  agitating  our 
Church  came  before  them.  The  professors  here  are  all  thor- 
oughly Evangelical  men,  and  it  was  most  delightful  to  listen 
to  their  questions  ;  they  brought  out  all  the  distinct  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel,  and  views  of  our  Church  as  held  by  Bishop  Mc- 
Ilvaine.  And  yet  at  this  very  time  examinations  are  going 
on  in  New  York  which  teach  almost  exactly  the  opposite  ! 
I  expect  to  leave  here  Thursday  afternoon,  and  hope  to  reach 
home  Friday  evening." 

In  the  summer  of  1870  the  rector  of  St.  Peter's 
Church,  Baltimore,  preached  a  sermon  upon  the  oc- 
casion of  the  congregation  worshipping  for  the  first 
time  in  their  new  and  beautiful  edifice. 

We  quote  a  passage  from  the  sermon  : 

"  The  Rev.  George  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  was  elected  as 
tht  fifth  rector  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  and  his  ministry  began 
in  September,  1858.  In  July,  1858,  less  than  half  of  the 
pews  in  the  church  were  rented,  and  not  all  of  them  occupied. 
During  his  ministry  the  church  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and 
the  corporation  of  St.  Peter's  was  never  in  a  more  flourishing 
condition,  in  every  respect,  with  regard  to  its  temporal  and 
spiritual  interests.  At  the  end  of  two  years  of  his  ministry  as 
rector  of  St.  Peter's  the  vestry  attempted  to  sell  the  church, 
and  actually  bought  a  lot  near  the  Eutaw  House,  on  Paca 
Street,  for  the  erection  of  a  new  edifice,  which  was  greatly 
needed.  This  enterprise  was  arrested  by  questions  of  law, 
and  by  the  want  of  entire  unanimity,  as  under  the  ministry  of 
Dr.  Atkinson — now  Bishop  Atkinson,  of  North  Carolina. 

"  Dr.  Cummins,  as  one  of  the  most  eloquent  and  stirring 


wonic  OF  1870.  393 

preachers  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  was  a  burning  and  shining 
light  in  our  midst.  For  five  years,  as  rector  of  St.  Peter's, 
he  was  abundant  in  labors.  There  were  baptized  by  him  in 
that  time,  136  ;  married,  64  ;  confirmed,  217  ;  added  to  the 
communicants,  310  ;  burials,  82  ;  contributed  to  Church 
purposes,  $22,058. 

"  In  August,  1863,  Dr.  Cummins  resigned  the  rectorship 
of  St.  Peter's,  and  after  being  rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
Chicago,  for  a  few  years,  was  elected  Assistant  Bishop  of 
Kentucky  in  the  spring  of  1866.  In  that  office  he  is  known 
as  not  only  one  of  our  most  eloquent  divines,  but  as  one  of 
the  boldest  and  most  honored  defenders  of  the  doctrines  of 
the  Reformation  and  of  the  Protestantism  of  the  Episcopal 
Church." 

A  clergyman  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
wrote  from  Gambler  of  the  Baccalaureate  sermon 
preached  by  Bishop  Cummins,  and  of  his  visit  to  that 
interesting  place  thus  : 

"  At  the  close  of  the  sermon  the  graduating  class  came 
forward  to  receive  their  charge,  which  was  delivered  with 
great  earnestness,  simplicity,  and  affection.  We  shall  indulge 
in  no  other  eulogy  on  the  bishop's  effort  than  to  say  we  are 
looking  forward  with  intenser  interest  and  anticipation  to  the 
feast  of  Wednesday  morning,  when  we  are  to  listen  to  the 
'  ordination  sermon  '  from  the  same  eloquent  lips  which  have 
so  enchained  us  to-day.  We  have  reason  to  know  that  Bishop 
Cummins  is  as  highly  delighted  with  all  he  sees  at  Gambler 
as  we  are  with  him." 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

VISIT   TO   NEW   YORK,    AND   CONFERENCES. 

'  Not  myself,  but  the  truth  that  in  life  I  have  spoken — 
Not  myself,  but  the  seed  that  in  life  I  have  sown, 
Shall  pass  on  to  ages — all  about  me  forgotten, 

Save  the  truth  I  have  spoken,  the  things  I  have  done." 

BONAR. 

Aged  48. 

DURING  the  months  of  June,  July,  August,  and 
into  September,  we  find  a  continuous  record  of 
Episcopal  duty  through  the  northern  part  of  Ken- 
tucky. In  September  Bishop  Cummins  and  his  wife 
left  Pewee  Valley  for  Chicago,  and  on  Sunday,  i8th, 
he  preached  in  the  morning  at  Christ  Church,  and  at 
night  at  Trinity  Church,  and  on  September  25th,  he 
preached  in  St.  James's  Church  in  the  morning  and  at 
night  at  Trinity  Church  in  the  same  city. 

"  October  2. — Assisted  at  the  Memorial  Church,  Balti- 
more, in  the  morning  in  the  communion,  and  at  night  preached 
in  the  same  church. 

"  October  9. — Preached  in  the  morning  at  Ascension 
Church,  Baltimore,  and  the  evening  of  the  loth  in  the  new 
St.  Peter's  in  the  same  city. 

"  October  16. — Preached  in  the  Church  of  the  Atonement, 
New  York,  in  the  morning,  and  at  the  Church  of  the  Incar- 
nation at  night. 


VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.        395 

"  October  1 8. — I  preached  the  sermon  at  the  anniversary 
of  the  Evangelical  Knowledge  Society  in  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Trinity,  New  York. 

"  October  23. — Preached  in  the  Memorial  Church,  Balti- 
more, in  the  morning,  and  at  night  at  St.  Peter's  Church,  in 
the  same  city." 

Bishop  Cummins  remained  in  New  York  some  time, 

the   guest   of   Colonel  and  Mrs.  D .     While  there 

the  evangelical  clergy  met  to  confer  with  him,  at  the 

house  of  Colonel  D ,  respecting  the  position  of  the 

party,  and  their  action  in  the  coming  General  Con- 
vention, which  was  to  meet  in  Baltimore,  October, 
1871. 

While  there  was  entire  unanimity  among  them — 
there  were  present  in  all  about  thirty-six,  chiefly 
clergymen — no  action  was  taken,  but  a  memorial  was 
agreed  upon,  to  be  presented  to  the  Convention,  ask- 
ing for  liberty  of  action  in  certain  things. 

Bishop  Cummins  returned  to  Kentucky,  October 
25th,  1870.     From  there  he  writes  to  his  wife  : 

"  LiN'DEN  Home,  Fewer  Valley,  October  28,  1870. 
"  I  am  once  more  safe  in  our  darling  child's  home,   hav- 
ing been  brought  to  the  end  of  my  journey  safely  by  the  lov- 
ing kindness  of  our  Heavenly  Father.     I  was  detained  by  an 

accident  on  the  Marietta  Railroad.     L met  me  at  the 

door,  with  our  own  precious  Maude  in  her  arms — his  little 
granddaughter,  born  July  20th,  1870 — so  plump,  and  sweet, 
and  merry  !  You  may  imagine  my  joy  at  seeing  her,  and 
taking  her  in  my  arms  once  more  !  She  has  the  gentlest, 
most  tender  look  out  of  her  eyes,  and  is  so  perfectly  lovely 
and  good  that  she  seems  to  belong  to  another  and  better 
world  than  this.     It  is  sweet  to  listen  to  her  soft  '  Coo,'  in 


39^  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

response  to  the  slightest  notice  taken  of  her.  She  is  indeed 
God's  precious  gift  to  us  all.      The  place  is  looking  very 

nicely,  and  the  house  is  as  tasteful  as  it  can  be.     T has 

a  number  of  fine  flowers  in  his  office  window.     L has 

cared  for  me  as  she  only  can.  I  leave  to-morrow  for  Mays- 
ville." 

"  Flemingsburg,  Ky.,  November  I,  1870. 
"  This  is  a  morning  of  rare  beauty.  I  wish  I  were  by 
your  side  to  breathe  the  pure  mountain  air  that  comes  in  at 
the  west  window  at  the  cottage  !  I  have  a  long  ride  of  thirty- 
two  miles  in  the  stage  to-day  to  Mount  Sterling.  1  leave  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  do  not  reach  Mount  Sterling  until  eight 
to-night. ' ' 

Mount  Sterling,  November  2. 
"  The   stage    at    Flemingsburg   was    delayed  two  hours 
in   starting.     We  left  there  at  one  o'clock  and  rode  through 

a  beautiful  country.     Mr.  C met   me  twelve  miles  from 

Mount  Sterling,  and  I  had  a  moonlight  ride  through  these 
high  hills  of  Eastern  Kentucky.  We  are  twenty-two  miles 
from  the  nearest  railroad.  This  town  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  finest  scenery,  and  a  railway  is  projected  to  Paris.  To- 
night I  hold  service  in  the  Methodist  church,  and  to-morrow 
go  to  Paris.  If  the  church  there  is  ready  for  consecration, 
I  will  hold  that  service  on  Friday  ;  if  not,  I  will  go  to  Cynthiana 
and  return  here  for  Sunday. ' ' 

"  Cynthiana,  Ky.,  November  4,  1S70. 

"  Mr.    C drove  me  to  Paris  yesterday,  a  distance  of 

twenty-two  miles.  I  found  the  church  not  ready  for  consecra- 
tion, so  came  here.  I  am  to  hold  three  services  here,  and 
preach  each  time,  and  to-morrow  return  to  Paris  to  spend 
Sunday,  6th. 

' '  Friday  night. — This  has  been  a  busy  day  with  me.  I  have 
held  service  and  preached  twice,  and  had  a  baptism  in  the  after- 


VISIT  TO  NE  W  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.       397 


noon.  I  have  preached  six  times  since  Sunday  morning  last, 
travelled  parts  of  three  days  in  stages  and  carriages.  I  have 
been  received  everywhere  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  re- 
spect, and  listened  to  with  apparently  deep  interest.  The  people 
in  these  parishes  are  generally  unacquainted  with  the  trou- 
bles in  our  Church.  Very  few  of  them  take  any  Church 
paper,  and  know  but  little  of  the  controversies  in  which  I 
have  been  engaged.  I  am  sure  your  visit  to  dear  mother 
[Mrs.  Balch]  will  be  a  great  comfort.  It  is  precious  to  be 
able  to  guide  and  comfort  and  minister  to  others,  and  I  pray 
that  we  may  grow  daily  in  grace  and  likeness  to  our  Master. 
That  passage  in  scripture  and  in  one  of  our  collects  is  often 
in  my  mind,  '  Purify  ourselves  even  as  he  is  pure.'  What  a 
model  and  incentive  !  May  he  help  us  in  this  life-long 
struggle  with  sin,  and  sanctify  us  by  his  grace  and  Holy  Spirit  ! 
God  be  with  you  !  '  Mizpah.'  The  Lord  watch  between 
thee  and  me,  when  we  are  parted  one  from  the  other  !" 

From   "Linden   Home,"   Pewee  Valley,  Novem- 
ber 8th,  Bishop  Cummins  writes  : 

"  I  went  into  tow^n  this  morning  and  saw  Dr.  P about 

some  church  business,  and  dined  with  him.      Rev.  Mr.  B 

and  Rev.   Mr.   G were  there  to  meet  me.     ^Ve  talked 

about  our  meetings  in  New  York,  the   Conferences,  and  the 

state  of  the  Church.     Rev.  Mr.  T has  gone  back  to  the 

Methodists.     You  will  remember  he  told  me  of  his  terrible 

servitude  under  Bishop .     I  went  over  this  afternoon  to 

look  at  the  church,  and  like  it  very  much.  I  go  into  town 
this  evening,  stay  all  night  at  the  hotel,  and  take  the  early 
train  in  the  morning  for  Harrodsburg.  Friday  I  go  to  Leba- 
non, and  Saturday  to  Danville." 

The  letters  before  us,  written  from  November  9th 
to  the  24th,  are  filled  with  a  record  of  constant  labor, 


39^  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

going  rapidly  from  place  to  place,  preaching  almost 
every  day.     In  one  Bishop  Cummins  says  : 

"  I  have  preached  seven  times  since  Thursday — I  write 
on  Tuesday,  November  2 2d — baptized  and  confirmed  sev- 
eral times,  and  administered  the  communion.  My  life  is  a 
busy  one,  and  I  am  often  very  weary,  but  I  trust  good  has 
been  done  for  my  Master." 

In  October  his  sermon  preached  before  the 
Evangelical  Knowledge  Society,  in  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Trinity,  New  York,  was  published.  It  was 
entitled  "  The  Bible  Doctrine  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
a  Contrast  to  Modern  Errors." 

On  the  28th  November  Bishop  Cummins  left  Ken- 
tucky for  Baltimore,  and  on  the  ist  December  he 
returned  to  New  York,  where  he  spent  some  days. 
On  Sunday,  4th  December,  he  preached  twice  in  the 
Church  of  the  Incarnation,  and  assisted  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  communion.  On  Monday  night, 
December  5th,  he  met  again  the  clergy  who  were  like- 
minded  with  himself  at  Colonel  D 's,  and  they  had 

an  earnest  conference  for  several  hours.  Among  the 
most  prominent  of  these  brethren  were  Rev.  Dr. 
John  Cotton  Smith,  Rector  of  the  Church  of  the  As- 
cension, and  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr.  There 
were  about  thirty-five  clergymen  at  this  conference. 
At  these  conferences  the  project  of  establishing  a  new 
Episcopal  Church  was  fully  discussed,  and  there  was 
scarcely  a  dissenting  voice  as  to  the  great  need  of 
such  a  church,  and  the  probability  of  the  co-operation 
of  the  laity  if  the  General  Convention  denied  them 
what  they  asked.  The  great  difficulty  in  the  way 
was  the  necessity  (as  they  then  believed)  for  three 


VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.       399 


bishops  to  legally  organize  and  establish  a  new  Epis- 
copal Church.  This  difficulty  was  soon  entirely 
removed,  when  the  "  Old  Catholics"  of  Europe  were 
fully  recognized  by  Episcopal  Churches,  although 
they  had  had  but  .  one  excommunicated  Jansenist 
bishop  to  consecrate  Dr.  Reinkens,  the  first  bishop 
of  their  church,  on  the  i  ith  of  August,  1873. 

Bishop  Cummins  returned  to  the  diocese  Decem- 
ber 6th,  and  continued  his  work  throughout  the 
winter  and  spring.  His  report  of  services  held,  and 
of  the  growth  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
during  the  year,  may  be  found  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Diocese,  published  in  New  York  in  the  summer  of  1 87 1 . 
It  was  a  cheering  outlook  for  the  earnest  worker  ;  a 
precious  reward  for  the  years  of  toil  and  weariness  ! 
In  the  summer  of  1871  Bishop  Cummins  received  the 
following  letter  from  his  friend  Rev.  Dr.  Dyer,  of 
New  York  : 

"  Long  Branch,  July  4,  1871. 

"  Mv  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  had  so  many  things  to  think 
of  that  I  have  not  felt  equal  to  writing  you  at  length  upon  the 
Cheney  case.  And  now,  though  I  am  at  this  sea-side  retreat, 
I  can  only  give  the  result  of  my  thinking  upon  this  subject. 

"  I  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  the  proceedings 
in  Illinois  against  Mr.  Cheney  are  anti-Christ,  and  believ- 
ing this  I  should  sin  against  God  if  I  did  not  in  every  prac- 
ticable way  treat  them  as  null  and  void.  I  believe  my  Sav- 
iour will  stand  by  Mr.  Cheney,  and  recognize  and  honor  him 
as  his  own  disciple  and  minister.  And  I  will  stand  by  him 
and  recognize  him,  so  help  me  God.  If  this  be  schism,  let 
it  be  schism.  There  are  many  things  worse  than  schism. 
If  this  be  revolution,  there  are  many  things  worse  than  revo- 
lution.    Our  fathers  in  Church  and  State  were  guilty  of  both 


40O  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

of  these,  and  yet  history  has  written  them  down  as  heroes  and 
martyrs. 

"  I  signed  the  letter  to  Mr.  Cheney,  not  because  it  ex- 
pressed all  my  views,  but  because  it  was  a  testimony  before 
the  world.  I  felt  that  it  would  do  good  to  give  expression  to 
our  convictions  and  sentiments,  and  I  thought  our  brother 
was  entitled  to  such  expression.  I  should  have  been  glad  to 
see  your  name  attached  to  the  document.  At  the  same  time 
I  can  appreciate  your  reasons  for  withholding  it,  and  feel  no 
disposition  whatever  to  criticise  your  action. 

"  I  think,  however,  the  cause  is  a  common  one,  and 
deeply  involves  the  Episcopate.  In  the  end  no  part  of  our 
system  will  suffer  more  from  this  awful  proceeding  in  Illinois 
than  the  Episcopate.  So  deeply  do  I  feel  all  this  that,  were 
I  a  bishop,  I  should  without  delay  take  some  measures  to 
practically  ignore  the  action  of  the  Illinois  authorities,  and 
thus  make  the  issue  as  broad  and  deep  as  possible.  If  our 
ecclesiastical  authorities  are  going  to  acquiesce  in  such  pro- 
ceedings and  give  them  the  dignity  and  authority  of  law,  then 
the  sooner  a  stand  is  taken  the  better  !  But  I  need  not  write 
more.  My  native  caution  and  conservatism  are  aroused  on 
the  one  side,  but  my  convictions — deep  and  strong — are  on 
the  other,  and  I  know  they  are  right. 

"  May  a  Divine  wisdom  guide,  and  a  Divine  strength  sup- 
port us  in  the  work  we  have  to  perform. 

"  Affectionately  and  truly  yours  in  Christ, 

"  H.  Dyer. 
"  The  Right  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins,  D.D." 

This  summer  Bishop  Cummins  visited  Cincinnati, 
and  preached  in  Christ  and  St.  James's  Churches  in 
that  city.  The  bishop,  while  the  guest  of  the  rector 
of  Christ  Church,  visited  Bishop  Mcllvaine  at  his 
home  in  Clifton.      As  he  was  about  to    leave,    and 


VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.       4OI 


after  a  most  earnest  conversation  on  the  part  of  the 
two  bishops  concerning  the  approaching  General 
Convention,  the  position  that  should  be  assumed  by 
the  Evangelical  party,  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine's  in- 
tended visit  to  Europe  for  the  benefit  of  his  failing 
health,  and  of  his  probable  return  in  time  for  the  Con- 
vention, Bishop  Cummins  said  :  "  We  are  looking  to 
you,  my  dear  bishop,  to  lead  us,  like  another  Moses, 
out  of  our  present  state  of  bondage  to  freedom  and 
liberty."  Bishop  Mcllvaine  laid  his  hand  on  the 
shoulder  of  Bishop  Cummins,  and  said  most  impres- 
sively :  "  Ah  !  I  am  too  old  for  any  such  contest,  and 
too  feeble.  The  younger  Bishops,  such  as  you,  must 
fight  the  battle  which  is  inevitable."  On  the  ist  of 
September  Bishop  Cummins  left  the  home  of  his  chil- 
dren, and  spent  the  3d  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  his  way 
to  the  White  Mountains.  Sunday,  lOth,  he  preached 
at  the  Profile  House.  From  there  he  went  to  Bos- 
ton, and  thence  to  Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  where  he 
preached  twice  on  the  24th  for  his  friend  Rev.   Mr. 

H '-,  in  St.   John's  Church  in  that  town.      From 

Westerly  he  went  to  Newport,  and  passed  some  days 

with  Colonel  and  Mrs.  D ,  and  thence  to  New  York 

to  be  the  guest  of  friends.  From  New  York  Bishop 
Cummins  went  to  Bergen  Point,  where  he  preached 

on  Sunday,  October  ist,   for  the  Rev.  G.   Z.   G . 

On  Monday,  October  2d,  he  left  for  Baltimore  to  be 
present  at  the  meeting  of  the  General  Convention. 

The  deep  interest  and  intense  excitement  of  those 
three  weeks  are  well  remembered.  After  the  most 
earnest  debate,  the  famous  "Declaration"  was 
adopted  by  both  houses.  By  some  members  of  the 
EvangeUcal  party  it  was  accepted  as  giving  the  Low 


402  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


Churchmen  the  liberty — or  at  least  a  part  of  it — for 
which  they  had  prayed.  But  Bishop  Cummins  saw 
no  relief  whatever  in  the  "  Declaration."  He  felt 
that  it  would  never  remedy  the  evils  from  which  the 
Evangelical  party  were  suffering, and  plainly  expressed 
himself  to  this  effect.  He  came  away  from  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  of  1871  sad  and  dispirited.  He  was 
not  disappointed,  for  he  had  had  no  hope  that  any  thing 
would  be  done  to  relieve  the  consciences  of  some  of 
his  brethren.  His  deep  sadness  was  caused  by  find- 
ing that  some  Evangelical  men  were  satisfied  with  a 
"  Declaration"  that  admitted  of  two  entirely  opposite 
interpretations,  as  Dr.  Dix,  of  New  York,  showed 
plainly  in  a  sermon  preached  in  Trinity  Church  in 
that  city  a  Sunday  or  two  after  the  Convention  ad- 
journed. 

During  the  Convention  Bishop  Cummins  preached 
twice  in  Holy  Trinity  Church,  Philadelphia,  and  in 
Ascension,  and  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  Baltimore,  and  in 
Trinity  Church,  Washington,  and  St.  John's  and  Christ 
Church,  Georgetown,  D.  C.  He  also  preached  in 
the  Church  of  Our  Saviour,  Baltimore,  October  i8th, 
and  on  October  29th  in  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany  and 
Church  of  the  Mediator,  Philadelphia.  He  also  took 
an  active  part  in  the  meetings  of  the  Evangelical  So- 
cieties held  in  Baltimore  in  October,  and  made  an  ad- 
dress at  St.  Peter's  Church  in  their  behalf. 

Returning  to  the  diocese  we  find  a  record  of  un- 
ceasing work  through  the  late  autumn,  winter,  and 
spring.  In  one  of  his  etters  written  at  this  time  he 
says  : 

"  Richmond,  Ky.,  November  21,  1871. 

"  Yesterday  morning  I  left  Danville  for  this  place.     Rev 


VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.       403 

Mr.  B joined  me  on  the  way.  We  were  met  at  the  sta- 
tion by  Colonel  R ,  and  driven  to  his  house,  a  beautiful 

home  built  fifty  years  ago.  He  reminds  me  of  dear  father,  is 
tall  and  dignified.  His  father  settled  here  in  1783,  coming 
soon  after  Daniel  Boone  :  the  whole  house  reminds  you  of 
the  olden  time  !  I  have  been  reading  the  debates  on  Ritual- 
ism, and  am  delighted  above  measure  with  Dr.  Vinton's  no- 
ble speech.  The  first  part  ought  to  be  printed  separately 
and  scattered  broadcast  over  the  Church.  Do  not  fail  to 
keep  the  Church  papers  ;  I  am  so  deeply  interested  in  seeing  the 
responses  of  different  parties  to  the  action  of  the  Convention. 
At  seven  o'clock  we  held  service  again,  and  I  preached  to  a 

still  larger  congregation.     This  morning  Colonel  R came 

in  while  it  was  yet  dark  to  awaken  us,  and  soon  we  set  out  to 
drive  to  the  station.  It  wai.  snowing  and  very  cold.  Reached 
Lancaster  at  nine  o'clock,  and  drove  over  in  a  buggy  to 
*  Crab  Orchard,'  twelve  miles  distant.  ...  I  long  to 
get  home  to  be  with  all  my  dear  family.  May  our  merciful 
Saviour  prepare  us  to  spend  an  eternity  of  bliss  together  in 
his  presence.  What  a  thrilling  thought  is  that  of  Eternity  ! 
Everlasting  life  !  How  truly  '  we  know  not  what  we  shall  be. ' 
But  only  this  should  be  our  care,  to  '  purify  ourselves  even 
as  he  is  pure,'  to  be  fitted  to  see  him,  and  enjoy  his  pres- 
ence whom  having  not  seen  we  do  love,  with  all  our  frailties 
and  imperfections.  ' 

From  Lebanon,  Ky.,  November  24th,  1871,  he 
writes  : 

"  I  have  had  a  week  of  rough  travelling  and  constant  ser- 
vices. The  weather  is  very  cold  and  disagreeable.  I  have 
preached  every  night  since  last  Thursday,  nine  times,  and 
have  three  more  services  to  hold." 

We  quote  from  Bishop  Ciimmins's  journal  of  official 


404  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

work.  Throughout  the  entire  winter  of  1871-2  he  was 
scarcely  ever  at  home,  being  constantly  occupied  in 
travelling  from  place  to  place  : 

"  February  19. — I  commenced  a  course  of  lectures  in  St. 
Paul's  Church,  Louisville,  occupying  a  fortnight.  During 
this  time  I  delivered  twenty  lectures  and  addresses." 

His  work  during  the  Lenten  season  was  always 
heavy,  as  he  particularly  desired  to  make  this  time 
one  of  special  blessing  to  the  congregations  in  various 
parts  of  the  diocese.  The  Convention  met  at  New- 
port, Ky.,  in  May,  1872,  and  was  an  unusually  inter- 
esting one,  as  the  question  of  the  senior  bishop's 
removal  to  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  was  brought  before 
the  Convention.  By  his  removal,  however,  no  ju- 
dicial authority  was  conferred  upon  Bishop  Cummins. 
This  the  High  Church  and  Ritualistic  party  would 
not  listen  to,  so  that  the  entire  work  of  the  diocese 
was  still  to  be  done  by  the  assistant  bishop,  while  no 
power  was  given  him  whatever.  This,  of  course, 
entirely  prevented  Bishop  Cummins  from  putting  a 
check  upon  the  rapid  growth  of  the  novelties  that  so  dis- 
turbed the  peace  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
In  August  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Cummins  visited  Chicago, 
where  Mrs.  Cummins  sought  medical  advice.  In  the 
autumn  she  was  ill,  and  her  physician  decided  that 
it  was  necessary  she  should  spend  the  winter  in 
Florida.  The  bishop  conferred  with  the  senior 
bishop  and  Standing  Committee,  and  with  their  ap- 
proval left  Kentucky  late  in  November  for  Macon, 
Ga.,  where  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Cummins  spent  three 
weeks. 

The  kind  and  sympathizing  letter  of  the  Standing 


VISIT  TO  NE  W  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.       405 


Committee  received  by  Bishop  Cummins  before  he  left 
home  is  here  inserted  : 

"Diocese  of  Kentucky,  Louisville,  November  16,  1872. 
"  Mv    Dear   Bishop   Cummins  :    At    a    meeting  of   the 
Standing  Committee  held  to-day  your  letter  of  the   13th  inst, 
was  read. 

"  The  committee  deeply  sympathize  with  you  in  this 
painful  call  of  duty  to  your  dear  wife,  and  in  the  privations 
and  anxieties  of  a  journey  undertaken  at  this  inclement  sea- 
son to  dwell  among  a  strange  people.  With  our  earnest  pray- 
ers that  the  Father  of  mercies  will  preserve  and  guard  you, 
restore  the  health  of  your  wife,  and  sanctify  the  trial,  accept 
this  testimony  of  affectionate  sympathy  from  the  Standing 
Committee  of  the  diocese. 

"  I  am,  very  truly  yours, 

"  Wm.  Cornwall,  Secretary.'' 

At  such  a  time  of  trial  this  letter  was  deeply  appre- 
ciated by  Bishop  Cummins.  He  responded  to  it  ex- 
pressing fully  his  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  kind- 
ness of  the  Standing  Committee.  He  also  received  an 
equally  kind  letter  from  Bishop  Smith. 

Although  not  rightly  belonging  here,  we  give  a 
letter  received  the  previous  spring  from  the  senior 
bishop,  as  it  belongs  to  the  history  of  Bishop  Cum- 
mins's  episcopate  and  was  overlooked. 

"  Frankfort,  April  16,  1872. 
''  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins.,  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky  : 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  seriously  under  consideration 
laying  the  following  propositions  before  the  approaching  Con- 
vention : 

"  I.  Relinquishing  one  half  of  my  salary,  one  thousand 
dollars  a  year. 


406  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

"2.  Asking  leave  to  live  out  of  the  diocese  the  few  re- 
maining days  of  my  life. 

"  3.   Devolving  the  administration  of  the  diocese  and  all 

its  work  upon  the  assistant  bishop. 

"  B.  B.  Smith. 

"  P.S. — This  letter  is  not  ofificial.  Its  object  is  to  pre- 
vent surprise  by  the  Convention.  Reasons  will  be  given  when 
the  subject  comes  up.  B.  B.  S." 

The  subject  was  not  allowed  to  be  fully  discussed 
at  the  Diocesan  Convention,  which  met  the  following 
May,  at  Newport,  Ky.,  because  the  extreme  men  of 
the  High  Church  party,  hearing  of  Bishop  Smith's 
intention  of  transferring  the  administrative  power  to 
Bishop  Cummins,  at  once  opposed  it ;  "  for,"  said  a 
very  prominent  layman,  "  Ritualism  ivould  be  dead  in 
twenty-four  hours,  if  Bishop  Cummins  be  allowed  to 
exercise  any  power  in  the  diocese."  The  one  con- 
dition upon  which  this  party  consented  to  give  their 
votes  for  Bishop  Smith's  removal  from  Kentucky 
was,  ' '  that  lie  should  retain  ALL  authority, ' '  and  thus 
a  majority  of  votes  were  cast  allowing  the  non-resi- 
dence of  the  senior  bishop.  All  business  was  there- 
after transacted  by  Bishop  Smith  while  a  resident  at 
Hoboken.  Thus  Bishop  Cummins,  while  doing  all 
the  work  of  the  diocese,  had  no  authority  to  forbid, 
or  even  to  remonstrate  against  practices  to  which  his 
whole  soul  was  conscientiously  opposed.  And  yet  it 
has  often  been  said,  "  Why  did  not  Bishop  Cummins 
remain  the  assistant  bishop  of  Kentucky,  and  fight 
against  these  errors  in  the  Church?"  Had  he  not 
done  so  bravely  and  untiringly  since  October,  1868  ? 

It   was   the   opinion  of   her  physician  in  Macon, 


VISIT  TO  NE  W  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.       40/ 


Ga.,  that  Mrs.  Cummins  should  go  to  Florida. 
Accordingly,  on  the  19th  December  Bishop  and  Mrs. 
Cummins  left  Macon  for  Savannah,  where  the)^  spent 
several  days,  the  bishop  preaching  twice  in  Christ 
Church  in  that  c\X.y.  From  Savannah  he  and  his  wife 
went  to  Hibernia,  Fla.,  on  the  St.  John's  River, 
where  they  remained  until  March  ist,  1873.  From  Hi- 
bernia they  went  up  the  river  to  Palatka  ;  there  they 
passed  a  fortnight,  and  then  returned  to  Macon,  eii  route 
for  Kentucky.  Immediately  on  reaching  the  diocese 
Bishop  Cummins  commenced  his  visitations,  which 
were  continued  without  interruption  until  the  meeting 
of  the  Convention,  which  was  held  that  year  in  Christ 
Church,  Lexington,  May  27th  and  28th.  In  a  letter 
dated  Paducah,  Ky.,  April  26th,  1873,  he  thus  sums 
up  his  work  : 

"  Thus  I  have  had  twelve  days  of  steady  work,  almost 
without  intermission.  I  preached  three  times  at  Owensboro, 
five  times  at  Henderson,  three  at  Uniontown,  twice  at  Casey- 
ville,  and  three  times  here  ;  fourteen  times  in  all,  and  six  con- 
firmations. I  have  two  more  services  at  Hopkinsville,  and 
then  will  be  home  !  May  the  same  loving  Hand  that  has 
shielded  and  protected  us  so  often  be  over  us  now  and  bring 
us  to  meet  again." 

Amid  the  record  of  unceasing  work,  we  find  this 
entry  : 

"  May  9. — Attended  the  funeral  of  Bishop  Mcllvaine  in 
Christ  Church,  Cincinnati." 

The  death  oi  this  great  and  good  man  was  a  se- 
vere trial  to  Bishop  Cummins,  who  had  loved  and 
revered  him  much,  and  to  whom  he  often  went  for 
counsel. 


408  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


After  the  meeting  of  the  Convention  Bishop  Cum- 
mins visited,  preached,  and  confirmed  in  Lexington, 
Louisville,  St.  Matthew's  Church,  Jefferson  County, 
Mount  Sterling,  Pewee  Valley,  Cynthiana,  George- 
town, Elizabeth  town,  Versailles,  Maysville,  and  Sep- 
tember 4th,  preached  the  sermon  at  the  reopening  of 
St.  Paul's  Church,  Louisville,  after  it  had  been  re- 
modelled and  enlarged.  The  title  of  the  sermon  is 
"  Old  and  New  St.  Paul's  Church,"  the  text,  Haggai 
2:9,  It  was  published  in  pamphlet  form  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  rector  and  vestry. 

"  September  7. — -St.  Paul's  Church,  Louisville — in  the 
morning  assisted  in  the  communion,  and  preached  at  St. 
James's  Church,  Jefferson  County,  in  the  afternoon,  and 
confirmed  eight  persons.  In  the  evening  preached  in  St. 
Paul's  Church,  Louisville. 

"  Sepie/nber  14,  1873. — In  the  morning  preached  at  St. 
Andrew's  Church,  Louisville, 'and  confirmed  three  persons." 

This  is  the  last  entry  of  official  work  in  Kentucky 
as  the  assistant  bishop  of  that  diocese  ;  but  how  un- 
conscious he  was  that  it  was  to  be  the  last  ! 

Before  passing  on  to  the  momentous  history  of  the 
autumn  of  1873,  we  give  a  general  summary  of 
Bishop  Cummins's  work  for  the  year  up  to  May 
28th,  1873,  as  reported  by  him  : 

"  Visitations  to  parishes    and  missions,   54  ;    number  of 
confirmations,  36  ;  number  of  persons  confirmed,  366  ;  ser 
mons  and  addresses,  170  ;  administered  the  holy  communion 
15    times  ;    ordained    presbyters,    2  ;  laid  corner-stones,    2  ; 
consecrated  churches,  3  ;  baptized,  11  ;  funerals,  2." 

He  then  touches  upon  a  number  of  topics,  viz., 


VISIT  TO  NEW  YORK,  AND  CONFERENCES.       409 


"  Changes  among  the  Clergy  of  the  Diocese."  "Candi- 
dates for  Orders,"  "  Marks  of  Church  Growth  during 
the  past  Year,"  "  The  Consecration  of  New  Church- 
es,"  "  The  Work  of  Missions  within  the  Diocese, ' '  etc. , 
and  then  mentions  tenderly  and  lovingly  the  deaths  of 
three  bishops — Upfold,  Eastburn,  and  Mcllvaine — 
and  further  draws  attention  to  "  the  need  for  caring 
properly  for  the  Theological  Library  of  the  diocese," 
and  "  for  establishing  a  Church  reading-room,"  and 
finally  he  earnestly  asks,  "  How  our  Annual  Conven- 
tions can  be  made  occasions  more  profitable  to  our- 
selves spiritually,  and  a  source  of  good  which  shall  be 
felt  throughout  the  diocese  as  we  return  to  our  re- 
spective fields  of  labor?" 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE   REFORMED   EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

"  Here  I  stand— I  cannot  do  otherwise — God  help  me," — Luther. 
Aged  51. 

THE  meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  in  this 
country  was  to  have  taken  place  in  1871  ;  but  ow- 
ing to  the  disturbance  in  Europe,  caused  by  the  war 
then  raging  between  France  and  Germany,  it  was 
decided  to  postpone  it  until  the  autumn  of  1873. 

In  1 87 1  Bishop  Cummins,  with  several  other 
American  clergymen,  were  chosen  speakers  on  the 
occasion  of  the  meeting  of  the  Alliance,  and  his  name 
was  retained  until  1873. 

It  was  to  attend  this  most  interesting  assemblage 
that  he  left  Kentucky  the  15th  September.  Bishop 
Bedell  had  requested  Bishop  Cummins  to  hold  a  con- 
firmation for  him  in  Hillsborough,  Ohio,  and  on  his 
way  to  New  York  Bishop  Cummins  passed  several 
days  among  his  friends  there,  and  preached  and  con- 
firmed in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  that 
town.  From  Hillsborough  he  went  to  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  and  Providence,  R.  I.,  to  visit  friends. 
In  these  cities  he  preached  several  times.  From 
Providence  he  went  to  Hoosac,  N.  Y.,  to  visit  a 
dear  friend,  and  while  there  preached  and  confirmed 
in  the  beautiful  church  erected  by  his  friend  as  a  me- 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  4II 

morial  to  his  daughter.  From  Hoosac  Bishop  Cum- 
mins went  to  New  York,  and  throughout  the  meeting 
of  the  EvangeHcal  AUiance  he  was  the  guest  of  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Tyng, 
Jr.,  rector,  and  was  pleasantly  accommodated  at  the 
Windsor  Hotel,  Fifth  Avenue. 

It  is  not  intended  to  give  in  this  memoir  a  history 
of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  except  so  far  as  it 
is  connected  with  Bishop  Cummins  personally.  To 
others  far  better  fitted  for  such  a  work  this  labor  is  left. 
A  "  Memoir  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  "  has 
already  been  carefully  prepared  by  Colonel  Aycrigg, 
of  Passaic,  N.  J.,  and  doubtless  in  time  other  able 
pens  will  tell  her  story  for  future  generations.  Only 
so  far  as  is  needful  to  form  a  distinct  chain  of  histori- 
cal evidence,  as  effecting  the  life  and  work  of  Bishop 
Cummins,  will  we  make  use  of  the  valuable  and  abun- 
dant material  before  us.  It  will  be  evident  to  all  how 
necessary  such  a  course  is  in  a  work  which  is  simply  a 
record  of  the  life  of  one  who  acted  from  a  conscien- 
tious sense  of  duty. 

On  Sunday,  October  12th,  1873,  Bishop  Cummins 
took  part  in  the  joint  communion  service  held  in  Rev. 
Dr.  John  Hall's  church,  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
A  clergyman,  formerly  a  Protestant  Episcopal  min- 
ister, who  had  conversed  with  Dr.  John  Hall  on  the 
recent  memorable  communion  in  Dr.  Adams's  Church, 
mentioned  to  Bishop  Cummins  that  it  would  give  Dr. 
Hall  pleasure  to  unite  with  him  in  the  communion 
service,  wMch  was  to  take  place  in  Dr.  Hall's  church 
on  the  following  Sunday.  Meeting  Bishop  Cummins 
during  the  week  for  the  first  time,  at  a  public  gathering 
of  the  Alliance  at  the  church  of  Dr.  Hepworth,  Dr. 


412  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Hall  invited  the  former  to  occupy  his  pulpit  on  the 
following  Sunday  morning.  Bishop  Cummins  having 
engaged  to  preach  for  his  friend  Rev.  Mr.  Postle- 
thwaite,  was  unable  to  accept  the  invitation,  but  cor- 
dially acceeded  to  Dr.  Hall's  desire  that  he  would  be 
present  to  take  part  in  the  communion  service  in  the 
afternoon.  Rev.  Dr.  \Vm.  Arnot,  of  Edinburgh,  and 
Professor  Dorner,  of  Berlin,  also  took  part  in  the  ser- 
vices. On  Sunday,  October  5th,  the  Rev.  Dr.  R.  Payne 
Smith,  Dean  of  Canterbury,  assisted  in  a  like  service  at 
Rev.  Dr.  Adams's  Church,  New  York,  and  the  Rev. 
Canon  Freemantle,  of  London,  Church  of  England,  at 
Rev.  Dr.  Booth's  church  in  the  same  city.  In  the  col- 
umns of  the  New  York  Tribune,  October  6th,  appeared 
a  letter  from  an  English  clergyman — Rev.  Dr.  Tozer — 
late  Missionary  Bishop  to  Zanzibar,  to  the  Dean  of 
Canterbury,  and  one  to  Bishop  Potter,  of  New  York, 
censuring  the  dean  for  his  participation  in  the  joint 
communion  service.  To  this  letter  Bishop  Cummins 
replied  October  13th,  in  the  Tribune  as  follows  : 

A   REPLY   TO   DR.    TOZER,    BY   BISHOP   CUMMINS,    OF 
KENTUCKY. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Tribune  : 

"  Sir  :  In  common  with  a  vast  number  of  Christian  peo- 
ple, and  especially  of  Episcopalians,  I  have  been  exceedingly 
pained  to  read  in  your  columns  this  morning  a  communica- 
tion from  the  '  late  missionary  Bishop  of  Zanzibar, '  to  Bishop 
Horatio  Potter,  of  this  city,  severely  censuring  the  Dean  of 
Canterbury  for  his  participation  in  a  union  communion  ser- 
vice at  the  Rev.  Dr.  Adams's  church,  on  the  afternoon  of 
October  5  th. 

* '  The  eminent  and  profound  scholar  the  Dean  of  Canter- 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  413 

bury  is  able  to  defend  himself  against  this  attack.  But 
I  too  am  a  bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
one  of  three  bishops  of  the  same  Church  who  have  partici- 
pated in  the  work  of  this  Sixth  General  Conference  of  the 
Evangelical  Alliance.  On  last  Sunday  afternoon,  October 
1 2th,  I  sat  at  the  table  of  the  Lord  in  the  church  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  John  Hall,  and  partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper  with  him 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Arnot,  of  Edinburgh,  and  administered  the 
cup  to  the  elders  of  Dr.  Hall's  church.  I  deny  most  em- 
phatically that  the  Dean  of  Canterbury  or  myself  have  vio- 
lated '  the  ecclesiastical  order  '  of  the  Church  of  England,  or 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  this  country,  or  have 
been  guilty  of  an  act  of  '  open  hostility  to  the  discipline  '  of 
said  Churches.  There  is  nothing  in  the  '  ecclesiastical  order  * 
or  '  discipline  '  of  the  Church  of  England,  or  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  in  this  country  forbidding  such 
an  act  of  inter-communion  among  Christian  people  who  are 
one  in  faith  and  love,  one  in  Christ  their  great  Head.  The 
Church  of  England  does  not  deny  the  validity  of  the  orders 
of  ministers  of  the  non-Episcopal  churches.  Some  of  her 
greatest  and  noblest  divines  and  scholars  have  gladly  recog- 
nized their  validity.  For  many  years  after  the  beginning  of 
the  Reformation,  Presbyterian  divines  were  received  in  Eng- 
land and  admitted  to  parishes  without  reordination,  as  Peter 
Martyr  and  Martin  Bucer,  who  held  seats  as  professors  of 
theology  in  the  universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge. 

"  I  cannot  believe  that,  as  Bishop  Tozer  states,  '  the  larger 
part  of  the  so-called  Evangelical  section  of  the  [Episcopal] 
Church  in  New  York  share  his  feeling. '  As  far  as  I  know 
them,  the  liberal  Episcopalians  of  New  York  rejoice  in  the 
action  of  the  Dean  of  Canterbury,  and  thank  God  for  it. 
When  the  Episcopal  Church  of  England  and  the  United  States 
has  been  able  to  clear  herself  (which  may  God  in  his  infinite 
mercy  soon  grant  it  !)  of  the  deadly  evil  of  Ritualism,  whose 
last  development  is  the  revival  of  the  Confessional,  then,  and 


414  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

not  till  then,  may  she  become  a  *  haven  of  rest '  to  many  souls 
who  would  rejoice  to  see  her  the  common  centre  and  bond  of 
organic  unity  to  all  Protestant  Christendom. 

"  George  David  Cummins, 

"  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky, 
"  N"ew  York,  October  13,  1873." 

Well  do  we  remember  the  scene  in  the  beautiful 
church  that  fair  October  Sabbath  afternoon  !  We 
entered  the  building  ;  it  was  crowded  ;  every  seat  oc- 
cupied by  some  of  the  most  refined  people  of  New 
York  and  other  cities.  In  the  chancel  was  arranged,  on 
a  large  table  draped  with  fair  linen,  the  costly  silver 
vessels  for  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  On 
one  side  sat  the  venerable  Dr.  Arnot,  one  of  Scotland's 
most  scholarly  men,  and  by  his  side  the  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Kentucky  ;  on  the  other  the  well-known 
German  professor.  Dr.  Dorner  ;  and  the  pastor  occu- 
pied the  centre.  Hymns  sung  by  the  whole  congre- 
gation, earnest  prayers  and  short  addresses  formed 
the  service.  Before  the  bread  was  distributed  Dr. 
Arnot  made  a  short  and  impressive  address  ;  before 
the  cup  was  administered  Bishop  Cummins  spoke  for 
a  few  moments.  A  stillness  that  could  be  felt  per- 
vaded that  vast  building  ;  not  a  sound  was  heard  save 
the  clear  voice,  so  full  of  sweetness  and  the  deepest 
fervor  ;  yet  so  low  and  solemn  as  to  affect  every  one 
present.  Tenderly  he  told  of  his  joy  in  being  there  ; 
of  the  blessing  of  partaking  of  that  precious  feast  of 
remembrance  with  those  who  were  children  of  one 
Father  ;  of  that  great  gathering  of  all  who  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  hereafter  "  in  the  many  mansions,"  and  of 
this  sweet  foretaste    of  the   "  eternal  union"   in  the 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  415 

"house  not  made  with  hands."  There  were  not 
many  eyes  there  that  were  not  filled  with  tears. 
Many  wept  as  Bishop  Cummins  dwelt  upon  the  union 
of  those  who  love  and  follow  Christ  here.  How  need- 
ful when  they  must  spend  eternity  together  !  Dr. 
Dorner  pronounced  the  benediction.  Dr.  Arnot,  on 
leaving  the  church,  embraced  Bishop  Cummins,  and 
spoke  loving  words  to  him.  The  aged  soldier  of  Jesus 
was  soon  after  called  to  be  with  his  Master,  "  ivhom 
not  seeing  he  loved." 

The  letter  of  Bishop  Cummins  of  October  13th, 
brought  out  a  severe  article  from  Rev.  Mr,  Drumm, 
of  Bristol,  Penn.,  to  which  the  bishop  replied  : 

'  *  To  the  Editor  of  the  Tribune  : 

*'  Sir  :  The  Rev.  Mr.  Drumm,  of  Bristol,  Perm.,  chal- 
lenges the  truth  of  my  statements  concerning  the  attitude 
of  the  earliest  Reformers  of  England  toward  the  non-Epis- 
copal churches,  and  asks  for  authority  to  support  them. 

"  Professor  Fisher,  of  Yale  College,  the  latest  and  most 
scholarly  English  historian  of  the  Reformation,  sustains  my 
statement  in  almost  identical  words.  He  says  (pages  332  and 
333,  History  of  Reformation.  Scribner,  Armstrong  &  Co., 
N.  Y.,  1873)  :  '  The  Episcopal  constitution  of  the  English 
Church  for  a  long  period  put  no  barrier  in  the  way  of  the 
most  free  and  fraternal  relations  between  that  body  and  the 
Protestant  churches  of  the  Continent.  Cranmer  placed  for- 
eign divines  in  very  responsible  places  in  the  English  Church. 
Ministers  who  had  received  Presbyterian  ordination  were  ad- 
mitted to  take  charge  of  English  parishes  without  a  question 
as  to  the  validity  of  their  orders. '  Among  easily  accessible 
authorities  I  refer  Mr.  Drumm  to  Strype's  Annals,  vol.  ii. 
page  514  ;  Keble's  Preface  to  Hooker,  page  76  ;  Hallam's 
Constitutional   History,   page    224  ;    Macaulay's  History  of 


41 6  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

England,  page  132.  The  latter  says  :  '  Episcopal  ordination 
was  now  for  the  first  time  [1662]  made  an  indispensable  qual- 
ification for  preferment.'  Keble  says  :  '  Nearly  up  to  the 
time  that  Hooker  wrote,  numbers  had  been  admitted  to  the 
University  of  the  Church  of  England  with  no  better  than 
Presbyterian  ordination. ' 

"  If  Mr.  Drumm  desires  further  authorities  he  shall  not 
be  disappointed.  It  is  indeed  a  source  of  inexpressible  sor- 
row to  find  that  an  effort  to  bring  all  believers  together  around 
the  table  of  our  common  Lord  should  be  met  by  reproach 
and  contumely. 

"  George  David  Cummins, 

^'Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky. 

"  New  York,  October  16,  1873." 

To  this  letter  many  replies  were  made  in  the  va- 
rious newspapers,  both  religious  and  secular  ;  some 
on  the  part  of  High  Church  Episcopalians;  the  others 
by  non- Episcopalians  and  Evangelical  men  in  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church.  We  are  not  willing  that  these 
pages  should  be  sullied  by  the  bitter  invective,  the  ter- 
rible abuse  hurled  upon  one  who  had  only  partaken  of 
that  supper  instituted  by  our  blessed  Lord  before  the 
early  Church  had  taken  definite  form — certainly  very 
long  before  "  Apostolical  succession"  was  taught.  As 
far  as  is  possible  we  gladly  draw  a  veil  over  the  vast 
number  of  abusive  letters  which  at  that  time  filled 
many  columns  of  the  daily  papers.  Throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land  the  excitement  was 
felt.  Editorials  as  well  as  communications  from  the 
clergy  and  laity  were  written.  "  Never  before," 
says  a  prominent  clergyman,  "  has  any  thing  caused 
such  intense  excitement — every  one  is  talking  of  it." 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  4^7 

Bishop  Cummins  did  not  reply  to  any  of  these 
attacks  upon  himself.  His  position  was  most  ably  de- 
fended by  his  friend  and  brother, -'  "  Historicus,"  and 
others,  and  after  his  two  letters  of  October  13th  and 
i6th  he  felt  it  to  be  best  that  lie  should  take  no  notice 
all  that  was  said  against  him.  But  he  felt  deeply  that 
his  position  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was 
indeed  changed. 

While  he  had  for  many  years  felt  intensely  the 
inroads  made  by  the  Ritualists  into  the  church  of  his 
love,  and  while  he  had  earnestly  and  to  the  utmost  of 
his  power  combated  those  errors,  and  although  the 
necessity  of  forming  a  new  and  thoroughly  Evangelical 
Episcopal  Church  had  been  frequently  discussed,  yet 
to  the  very  last  inojucnt  Bishop  Cinnniins  clung  with 
ardefit  affection  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
hoping  and  praying  each  day  that  God  would  send 
him  and  others  like  minded  deliverance  within  the 
Church,  by  allowing  them  the  free  use  of  alternate 
phrases  in  the  Prayer  Book,  whereby  they  could 
\vithout  scruple  of  conscience  minister  in  her  fold. 

It  is  a  joy  to  be  able  to  record  here  that  no  one 
— and  we  say  it  advisedly — who  came  in  contact 
with  Bishop  Cummins  at  that  or  any  other  time  ever 
heard  him  utter  one  unkind  word  of  his  assailants. 
Most  deeply  wounded  his  loving  heart  often  was,  es- 
pecially when  the  contemptuous  expressions  or  un- 
kind words  came  from  from  those  who  had  been  his 
friends  so  long. 

The  storm  of  bitterness  had  not  spent  itself  when 
the  great  and  momentous  question  arose  in  Bishop 
Cummins's  mind,  whether  he  could  longer  remain  in 

*  Rev.  Mason  Gallagher. 


41 8  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

a  church  where  he  had  been  so  harshly  judged,  and 
where  he  could  not  expect  ever  after  to  meet  with 
any  thing  but  censure  and  disapproval.  This  thought 
occupied  his  mind  for  many  days.  He  most  ear- 
nestly sought  guidance  from  his  Master.  It  was  a 
time  of  deep  heart-searchings  on  his  part,  and  of 
close  communion  with  his  God.  At  last  the  decision 
was  made — light  came  to  him — he  saw  his  way  clearly 
marked  out,  but  he  went  out  of  the  Church  in  which 
he  had  so  faithfully  labored  twenty-eight  years  alone, 
with  nothing  definite  before  him  in  the  future,  but 
knowing  that  the  Lord  guided  him.  This  decision  was 
reached  November  9th,  1873.  The  next  day  the  follow 
ing  letter  was  written  to  Bishop  Smith  : 

"  New  York,  November  10,  1873. 
"  To  the  Right  Rev.  Benjamin  Bosivorth  Smith,  D.D.,  Bishop 
of  the  Frotestajtt  Episcopal  Church  in  the  Diocese  of  Ken- 
tucky : 

"  Right  Reverend  and  Dear  Bishop  :  Under  a  sol- 
emn sense  of  duty,  and  in  the  fear  of  God,  I  have  to  tell 
you  that  I  am  about  to  retire  from  the  work  in  which  I  have 
been  engaged  for  the  last  seven  years  in  the  diocese  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  thus  to  sever  the  relations  which  have  existed  so 
happily  and  harmoniously  between  us  during  that  time. 

"  It  is  due  to  you  and  to  my  many  dear  friends  in  the 
diocese  of  Kentucky  and  elsewhere  that  I  should  state  clearly 
the  causes  which  have  led  me  to  this  determination. 

' '  First,  then,  you  well  know  how  heavy  has  been  the  trial 
of  having  to  exercise  my  office  in  certain  churches  in  the  dio- 
cese of  Kentucky,  where  the  services  are  conducted  so  as  to 
symbolize  and  to  teach  the  people  doctrines  subversive  of  the 
'  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,'  and  as  it  was  maintained  and  de- 
fended by  the  Reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century. 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  419 

"  On  each  occasion  that.  I  have  been  called  upon  to  offi- 
ciate in  those  churches,  I  have  been  most  painfully  unpressed 
by  the  conviction  that  I  was  sanctioning  and  indorsing  by  my 
presence  and  official  acts  the  dangerous  errors  symbolized  by 
the  services  customary  in  Ritualistic  churches. 

"  I  can  no  longer,  by  my  participation  in  such  services, 
be  '  a  partaker  of  other  men's  sins,'  and  must  clear  my  own 
soul  of  all  complicity  in  such  errors. 

"  2    I  have  lost  all  hope  that  this  system  of  error,  now 
prevailing  so  extensively  in  the  Church  of  England  and  in 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  this  country,   can  be,  or 
will  be  eradicated  by  any  action  of   the  authorities  of  the 
Church,  legislative  or   executive.     The  only  true  remedy   in 
my  judgment,  is  the  judicious  yet  thorough  revision  of  the 
Prayer  Book,  eliminating  from  it  all  that  gives  countenance, 
directly  or  indirectly,  to  the  whole  system  of  Sacerdotalism 
and  Ritualism  :  a  revision  after  the  model  of  that  recommended 
by  the  Commission  appointed  in  England  under  royal  au- 
thority in  1689,  and  whose  work  was  indorsed    by  the  great 
names  of  Burnet,    Patrick,   TiUotson,   and  Stillingfleet,   and 
others  of  the  Church  of    England-a  blessed  work    which 
failed,  alas  !  to  receive  the  approval  of  Convocation   but  was 
taken  up  afterwards  by  the  fathers  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States,   and  embodied  in  the  Prayer 
Book  of  1785,  which  they  set  forth  and  recommended  for  use 

in  this  country.  .        ,  , 

"  I  propose  to  return  to  that  Prayer  Book,  sanctioned  by 
William  White,  and  to  tread  in  the  steps  of  that  saintly  man, 
as  he  acted  from  1785  to  1789.  . 

"3  One  other  reason  for  my  present  action  remains  to 
be  given.  On  the  last  day  of  the  late  Conference  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance  I  participated  in  the  celebration  of  the  Lord  s 
iupper,  by  invitation,  in  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall's  church  m 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  united  with  Dr.  Hall,  Dr.  W  m. 
Arnot,  of  Edinburgh,  and  Professor  Dorner,  of  Berlin,  in  that 


420  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

precious  feast.  It  was  a  practical  manifestation  of  the  real 
unity  of  '  the  blessed  company  of  all  faithful  people'  whom 
'  God  hath  knit  together  in  one  communion  and  fellowship  in 
the  mystical  body  of  his  son  Jesus  Christ. '  The  results  of  that 
participation  have  been  such  as  to  prove  to  my  mind  that 
such  a  step  cannot  be  taken  by  one  occupying  the  position  1 
now  hold  without  sadly  disturbing  the  peace  and  harmony  of 
'  this  Church, '  and  without  impairing  my  influence  for  good 
over  a  large  portion  of  the  same  Church,  very  many  of  whom 
are  within  our  own  diocese. 

"  As  I  cannot  surrender  the  right  and  privilege  thus  to 
meet  my  fellow-Christians  of  other  churches  around  the 
table  of  our  dear  Lord,  I  must  take  my  place  where  I  can  do 
so  without  alienating  those  of  my  own  household  of  faith. 

"  I  therefore  leave  the  Communion  in  which  I  have  la- 
bored in  the  sacred  ministry  for  over  twenty-eight  years,  and 
transfer  my  work  and  office  to  another  sphere  of  labor.  I 
have  an  earnest  hope  and  confidence  that  a  basis  for  the 
union  of  all  Evangelical  Christendom  can  be  found  in  a  com- 
munion which  shall  retain  or  restore  a  primitive  Episcopacy 
and  a  pure  scriptural  liturgy,  with  a  fidelity  to  the  doctrine  of 
justification  by  faith  only — Articulus  stantis  vel  cadentis 
EccLESiiE — a  position  to  which  the  Old  Catholics  in  Europe 
are  rapidly  tending,  and  which  has  already  taken  a  definite 
form  in  the  '  Church  of  Jesus, '  in  Mexico. 

"  To  this  blessed  work  I  devote  the  remaining  years  of 
life,  content  if  I  can  only  see  the  dawn  of  that  blessed  day  of 
the  Lord. 

' '  I  am,  dear  bishop,  faithfully  yours  in  Christ, 

"  George  David  Cummins. 

' '  My  address  for  the  present  is  No.  2  Bible  House,  New 
York." 

To  this  letter  Bishop  Smith  replied,  urging  Bish- 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  421 


op   Cummins   to    reconsider   his   determination,  and 
giving  his  views  of  Bishop  Cummins' s  action. 

A  few  brethren  of  the  clergy  and  laity  who  had 
long  felt  it  to  be  impossible  to  remain  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  but  who  preferred  a  liturgy  and 
simple  ritual,  conferred  with  Bishop  Cummins  in 
''an  upper  chamber"  in  New  York,  and  at  i*as- 
saic,  N.  J.,  Out  of  these  prayerful  conferences 
grew  the  "Reformed  Episcopal  Church,"  which 
stands  to-day  the  youngest,  yet  the  well-beloved  of 
the  Evangelical  churches  of  this  country,  England, 
and  Canada. 

On  the  15th  November  Bishop  Cummins  put  forth 
a  circular-letter  which  we  give  : 

"  New  York,  November  15,  1873. 
"  Dear  Brother  :  The  following  circular-letter  has  been 
prepared  in  consultation  with  a  few  friends  like  minded  with 
myself,  who  are  now  or  have  been  ministers  and  laymen  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  It  is  sent  to  you  for  your  ear- 
nest consideration.  If  approved  by  you,  please  sign  your  name 
to  it,  and  thus  give  your  consent  to  the  transfer  of  your 
name  to  the  original  document  for  publication  and  more  gene- 
ral circulation. 

"  Your  brother  in  the  Lord, 

"  George  David  Cummins. 
' '  No.  1 1  East  Fifty-seventh  Street. 

"  New  York,  November  13,  1873. 
"  Dear  Brother  :  The  Lord  has  put  into  the  hearts  of 
some  of  his  servants  who  are,  or  have  been,  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  the  purpose  of  restoring  the  old  paths  of 
their  fathers  and  of  returning  to  the  use  of  the  Prayer  Book 
of  1785,  set  forth  by  the  General  Convention  of  that  year. 


422  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

u/ider  the  special  guidance  of  the  venerable  William  White, 
D,D.,  afterwards  the  first  bishop  of  the  same  Church  in  this 
country. 

"  The  chief  features  of  that  Prayer  Book,  as  distinguished 
from  the  one  now  in  use,  are  the  following  : 

"  I.  The  word  ^ priest '  does  not  appear  in  the  book,  and 
there  is  no  countenance  whatever  to  the  errors  of  Sacerdo- 
talism. 

"  2.  The  Baptismal  Offices,  the  Confirmation  Office,  the 
Catechism,  and  the  Order  for  the  Administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  contain  no  sanction  of  the  errors  of  Baptismal  regen- 
eration, the  Real  presence  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  in 
the  elements  of  the  communion,  and  of  a  Sacrifice  offered  by 
a  priest  in  that  sacred  feast. 

"  These  are  the  main  features  that  render  the  Prayer 
Book  of  1785  a  thoroughly  scriptural  liturgy,  such  as  all  Evan- 
gelical Christians  who  desire  liturgical  worship  can  use  with  a 
good  conscience. 

"  On  Tuesday,  the  2d  day  of  December,  1873,  a  meeting 
will  be  held  in  Association  Hall,  corner  of  Twenty-third 
Street  and  Fourth  Avenue,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  at  ten 
o'clock  A.M.,  to  organize  an  Episcopal  Church  on  the  basis 
of  the  Prayer  Book  of  1785  :  a  basis  broad  enough  to  em- 
brace all  who  hold  *  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints, '  as 
that  faith  is  maintained  by  the  Reformed  churches  of  Chris- 
tendom ;  with  no  exclusive  and  unchurching  dogmas  toward 
Christian  brethren  who  differ  from  them  in  their  views  of 
polity  and  church  order. 

"  This  meeting  you  are  cordially  and  affectionately  in- 
vited to  attend.  The  purpose  of  the  meeting  is  to  organize^ 
and  not  to  discuss  the  expediency  of  organizing.  A  verbatim 
reprint  of  the  Prayer  Book  of  1785  is  in  press,  and  will  be 
i^3ued  during  the  month  of  December. 

"   May  the  Lord  guide  you  and  us  by  his  Holy  Spirit. 
"  George  David  Cummins." 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  423 

This  circular-letter  was  distributed  freely  through- 
out the  country.  Most  unexpectedly  Bishop  Cuimmns 
found  a  copy  of  "  the  Bishop  White  Prayer  Book  in 
the  library  of  a  friend  who  had  at  great  pains  obtained 
it  from  England.  Through  the  liberality  of  another 
friend  an  edition  was  printed  for  circulation. 

' '  On  Sunday  evening,  November  9th  [we  quote  from  a  lead- 
ing Methodist    Episcopal   Church   paper   P^^l^s^;^^  /^/^r' 
York]  Bishop  Cummins  occupied    the    pulpit  of    St.  Pauls 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  this  city.     His  sermon,  which 
tas  richly  evangelical,  was  an  exposition  of  the  -penor  value 
of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  to  all  other  ^no-ledge      At  d.e 
dose  of  his  sermon  a  brief  reference  to  the  venerable  Dr. 
Durbin-who  was  present-as  the  means  of  his  conversion 
more  than  thirty  years  ago,  excited  deep  emotions  in  the  con- 
^egation.     Bishop  Cummins  should  have  the  support  of  all 
Evangelical    Episcopahans  without  exception;    he   has    the 
sympathy  of  all  evangelical  Christians.     We  rejoice  to  see  an 
Episcopal  bishop  throw  compromise  away,  and  dare  to  act 
out  his  honest  convictions.     But  must  he  stand  alone  ? 

The  editor  of  the  same    paper  writes  as  follows, 
later  : 

"  With  his  strong  convictions  on  this  subject  there  was 
but   one   course   open  to  Bishop  Cummins,   either    to  figh 
out  the  battle  of  true  Chrisdanity  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  or  to  quit  it  altogether.     .     .     .     He  niay  have  good 
reason  for  thinking  that  within  the  Church  the  battle  is  hope- 
less       The  disparagement   of    Bishop   Cummins,  which  has 
been  indulged  in  by  some  High  Churchmen,  will  most  surely 
react  upon'the  disparagers.     The  writer  of  this  article  ha 
known  Bishop  Cummins   for  nearly  forty  years^      He  was 
educated  in  Dickinson  College   under  Durbin,  Emory,  Mc- 


424  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

Clintock,  Allen,  and  Caldwell,  men  who  had  no  superiors  in 
their  day.  .  .  .  The  transition  of  Bishop  Cummins  to 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was  perfectly  natural,  .  ,  . 
and  he  left,  if  with  the  regret,  yet  with  the  good-will  of  his 
Methodist  associates.  His  career  as  an  Episcopal  minister  has 
been  both  brilliant  and  successful.  He  was  at  once  made 
the  assistant  of  Dr.  Johns,  of  Baltimore — in  his  day  the  most 
important  Protestant  Episcopal  clergyman  of  that  city.  As 
to  scholarship,  he  is  the  peer  of  his  impugners,  which  is 
quite  sufficient  for  their  objections.  ...  It  seems  to  us 
that  all  churches  should  honor  this  conscientiousness,  this 
breaking  away  from  galling  fetters  and  reaching  forth  for 
Christian  fellowship.  No  one  severs  the  associations  of  years 
without  undergoing  most  severe  trials." 

An  article  appeared  at  this  time  in  a  Baltimore 
daily  paper,  in  which  Bishop  Cummins  is  represented 
as  "  having  proposed  to  Bishop  Mcllvaine  so  long 
ago  as  at  the  meeting  of  the  General  Convention 
held  in  Baltimore  in  1871,  that  the  Evangelicals 
should  withdraw  from  the  Church  and  set  up  a  new 
ecclesiastical  organization,  but  that  Bishop  Mcllvaine 
decidedly  refused  to  give  any  encouragement  to  the 
project." 

The  simple  truth  of  this  statement  is  what  has 
already  been  given  in  these  memoirs.  Many  of  the 
Evangelical  party  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
at  that  time,  and  for  years  previously,  were  far  more 
advanced  in  their  views  than  Bishop  Cummins,  and 
those  most  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  Church 
know  this  to  be  true.  He  most  earnestly  desired  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  to  take  n  prominent  and  decisive  part  in  the 
General  Convention  of  1871  ;  but  while  their  views 
were  entirely  alike  on  the  subject  of  the  great  need  of 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  425 

either  revision  of  the  Prayer  Book,  or  the  subst.'tu- 
tion  of  alternate  phrases  (see  Bishop  Mcllvaine's 
letters  to  Bishop  Cummins),  thereby  giving  more  lib- 
erty to  the  Evangelical  clergy.  Bishop  Mcllvaine's 
health  was  then  such  as  to  preclude  his  encountering 
any  mental  excitement.  His  physicians  had  ordered 
him  to  go  abroad  again  to  avoid  any  such  excitement, 
and  this  was  why  he  said,  "  this  work  must  be  done 
by  the  younger  bishops,  such  as  you,"  etc.  The 
writer  was  present  and  heard  every  word  that  passed, 
and  during  the  entire  interview  nothing  was  said  by 
either  bishop  respecting  a  new  church.  All  the  con- 
versation was  upon  the  need  of  an  earnest  battle 
within  the  Church  for  the  rights  of  the  Evangelical 
party.  Even  at  the  conferences  held  in  1870,  in  New 
York,  the  idea  of  another  Church  was  spoken  of  only 
as  a  dernier  ressort,  when  every  thing  else  had  been 
tried. 

Those,  however,  who  composed  the  House  of 
Bishops  in  1871  will  remember  the  intensely  earnest 
appeal  made  by  Bishop  Cummins  for  the  relief  of 
those  of  like  mind  with  himself,  and  the  grand  speech 
of  Bishop  Mcllvaine  in  support  of  this  appeal. 

On  the  24th  November  Bishop  Cummins  received 
the  following  letter  : 

"  HoBOKEN,  N.  J.,  November  22,  1873. 
''Right  Rev.    Geo.  D.  Cummins,  D.D.,  late  Assistant  Bishop 
of  Kentucky  : 

"  Upon  the  evidence  of  a  printed  copy  of  your  letter  to 
me,  dated  November  loth,  1873,  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Perkins,  a  member  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  Ken- 
tucky, at  a  meeting  of  said  committee  duly  convened  in  the 
vestry-room  of   Christ  Church,  Louisville,  on  the    i8th   day 


426  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

of  November,  1873,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
canon  eighth,  title  eleventh,  of  the  Digest,  did  certify  to 
me  that  the  Right  Rev.  George  David  Cummins,  D.D.,for 
some  time  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky,  has  abandoned  the 
communion  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

"  In  accordance  with  the  second  paragraph  of  the  same 
canon  it  becomes  my  painful  duty  to  give  you  official  notice 
'  that  unless  you  shall,  within  six  months,  make  declaration  that 
the  fact  alleged  in  said  certificate  is  false,  you  will  be  deposed 
from  the  ministry  of  this  Church. ' 

"  B.  B.  Smith, 
*  Bishop  of  Kentucky  and  Presiding  Bishop. ' ' 

Though  not  in  regular  order  of  date,  we  give 
herewith  letters,  or  extracts  of  letters,  received  by 
Bishop  Cummins  about  this  time.  The  first  was  re- 
ceived while  he  was  in  Philadelphia  attending  the 
meetings  of  the  Evangelical  Societies,  and  some  weeks 
before  he  determined  to  leave  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church.     It  is  from  the  Dean  of  Canterbury  : 

"  Brevoort  House,  New  York,  October  18,  1873. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  was  exceedingly  sorry  I  could 
not  join  your  party  for  Niagara.  It  would  have  been  de- 
lightful, but  I  leave  on  Wednesday  next,  and  every  interme- 
diate day  is  engaged.  Unfortunately  I  did  not  return  from 
Washington  till  you  had  started. 

"  I  must  not  conclude  without  thanking  you  for  your 
letter  in  my  defence  against  (he  attacks  of  Bishop  Tozer. 

"  With  every  sentiment  of  respect  and  affection,  believe 
me  to  be, 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"R.  Payne  Smith. 
The  Right  Rev.  the  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky." 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  427 

We  give  an  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Miss 
Susan  Warner,  the  author  of  "The  Wide,  Wide 
World,"  "  Queechy,"  dic^  : 

"  I  congratulate  you,  dear  friends,  on  the  work  Bishop 
Cummins  is  permitted  to  do  for  his  Master.  In  old  time  the 
disciples  were  '  rejoicing  that  they  were  counted  worthy  to 
suffer  shame  for  his  Name,*  and  truly  I  reckon  the  same 
matter  worthy  cause  of  rejoicing  now.  There  is  work  to  be 
done  on  every  hand — work  to  follow  these  Alliance  meetings 
— work  to  show  that  they  were  the  outcome  of  a  reality. 
And  certainly  if  we  do  our  part  the  Lord  will  speed  it. 
"  Very  affectionately  yours  in  him, 

"  Susan  Warner." 


From   Rev.    Dr.  Adams    the    following  kind  note 


came 


"  3  East  Twenty-Fourth  Street,  Madison  Square,  | 


New  York,  November  12,  1873. 

"  My  Dear  Dr.  Cummins  :  I  have  read  your  noble  letter 
with  a  suffused  eye  and  a  throbbing  heart.  I  long  to  see 
you.  Please  favor  me  with  a  call  at  your  earliest  conve- 
nience, or  tell  me  where  I  may  call  to  see  you.  In  the  Even- 
ing Post  of  to-morrow  will  appear  a  letter  from  me  in  reply 
to  Bishop  Potter's  most  unwarrantable  attack  on  Dean  Smith 
and  Dean  Alford,  of  Canterbury.  Most  cordially  and  frater- 
nally, yours,  W.  Adams  . 

"  I  want  you  to  preach  for  me  soon." 

The  Rev.  Charles  E.  Cheney  writes  thus  : 

"Christ  Church  Rectory,  Chicago,  October  17,  1873. 
"  My  Dear  Bishop  Cummins  :  My  heart  is  too  full  of 
gratitude  to  God  for  the  noble   position  which  I  am  sure  he 
has  led  you  to  take,  to  refrain  from  just  writing  one  word  upon 


428  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

the  subject  to  you.  I  do  not  believe  that  you  can  maintain  the 
right  and  privilege  of  an  Episcopal  clergyman  of  any  grade,  to 
take  part  with  those  of  other  Christian  churches  in  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  Supper,  without  incurring  great  obloquy 
and  possibly  persecution.  That  He  whose  blood-bought  chil- 
dren are  equally  dear  to  his  heart,  wherever  they  may  be 
found,  may  bless  and  strengthen  you  to  stand  firm,  is  my  ear- 
nest prayer. 

"  May  it  not  be  that  this  may  pave  the  way  to  the  organi- 
zation of  a  free  Episcopal  Church  ? 

"  God  bless  and  keep  you,   dear  bishop,   under  his  own 

divine  care. 

"  Most  affectionately  yours, 

"  Chas.  Edward  Cheney." 

We  quote  from  a  letter  written  by  Rev.  M.  B. 
Smith  : 

"  Passaic,  N.  J.,  November  9,  1873. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  Brother  G has  apprised  me  of 

your  grand  step  in  the  direction  of  reform  and  progress. 
May  God  bless  you  for  it  ;  you  have  my  prayers.  A  valid 
Episcopacy,  an  historical  Prayer  Book,  and  '  the  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints,'  will  meet  the  wants  of  every  Evan- 
gelical liturgist." 

A  letter  dated  Philadelphia,  November,  11,  1873, 
was  received  by  Bishop  Cummins  from  a  committee 
of  three  clergymen  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  appointed  to  communicate  with  him,  urging 
him  "  not  to  act  hastily,  but  to  reconsider  his  deter- 
mination to  leave  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church." 
He  also  received  letters  from  other  friends  to  the 
same  effect.  But  the  conflict  in  his  own  mind  Jiad 
long  since  passed,  and  he  never  for  one  moment 
wavered  after  that  solemn  midnight  watch,  when  he 


THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  429 

communed  with  his  God  alone,  and  for  hours.  Though, 
to  quote  a  writer  at  that  time,  "  the  fiercest  denuncia- 
tions were  brought  upon  him  we  have  ever  read," 
he  never  fahered  ;  gently  yet  bravely  he  went  on 
from  day  to  day,  bowing  his  head  meekly  to  receive 
the  storm  of  invective  that  was  hurled  against  him, 
yet  never  feeling  the  want  of  that  heavenly  strength 
which  is  promised  to  all  who  seek  it  ! 

Many  years  before,  a  bishop  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  left  her  communion  for  the  Church  of 
Rome,  but  scarcely  a  word  was  said  about  it.  Later 
another  of  her  bishops  was  degraded  from  his  office  for 
gross  offences  ;  it  produced  only  sorrow  to  those  of 
pure  hearts,  but  no  abuse  or  bitterness  was  heard  ;  and 
later  still,  another  Protestant  Episcopal  bishop  fled 
the  country  to  avoid  trial  for  breaking  God's  com- 
mands, and  after  a  few  newspaper  notices  and  a  pri- 
vate meeting  of  a  quorum  of  the  House  of  Bishops  to 
deprive  him  of  his  office,  the  world  and  the  Church 
hear  nothing  more  of  the  sad  case.  But  after  the 
fierce  denunciations  heaped  upon  Bishop  Cummins, 
the  bitter  attacks,  the  opprobrious  epithets  of 
"apostate,"  perjurer,"  "fallen  bishop,"  and  many 
like  them,  the  cruel  predictions  of  his  ruin,  etc.,  there 
came  the  years  of  quiet  yet  steady  persecution,  the 
cold,  contemptuous  treatment,  the  refused  recogni- 
tion socially — as  though  he  was  branded  Cain-like — 
and  for  what  ?  Only  partaking  of  the  Supper  of  our 
Lord,  which  was  instituted  alike  for  Episcopalians, 
Presbyterians,  and  other  Christian  churches  !  Ah  ! 
when  they  gather  around  the  Lord  of  that  blessed 
feast  in  the  New  Jerusalem,  will  they  think  then  of 
Apostolic  succession,  or  of  Episcopal  ordination  ? 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE   FIRST   GENERAL   COUNCIL. 

"  And  when  they  were  come  in,  they  went  up  into  an  upper  room. 
.  .  .  These  all  continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion."— Acts  1:13,  14. 

Aged  51. 

ON  Saturday  afternoon,  November  29th,  1873,  six 
bishops  who  were  most  accessible,  met  the  pre- 
siding bishop  at  the  vestry-room  of  Grace  Church, 
New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  "  deposing"  Bishop 
Cummins,  that  by  so  doing  they  might  prevent  his 
organizing  another  Episcopal  Church,  and  conse- 
crating other  bishops.  But  after  due  delibera- 
tion they  found  that  any  such  act  would  be  illegal, 
as  the  canon  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
provides  that  after  the  lapse  of  six  months  a  bishop 
shall  be  deposed,  if  he  does  not  retract  before  then. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  clergy  of  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  met  at  this  time  to  express  their  entire 
disapproval  of  the  course  of  Bishop  Cummins.  We 
give  the  article  in  full  as  published  in  the  New  York 
Times  :  - 

*  *  To  the  Editor  of  the  New  York  Times  : 

*'  The  inclosed  card  came  to  me  to-day  from  Philadelphia, 
with  a  line  from  one  of  its  signers  requesting  its  insertion  in 
one  or  more  of  the  daily  papers  of  New  York,  in  order  that  the 
clergy  and  laity  of  our  Church  in  this  city,  and  especially  any 


THE   FIRST  GENERAL   COUNCIL.  43 1 


sympalhi/ing  with  the  movement  of  Bishop  Cummins,  might 
understand  clearly  and  authoritatively  the  extent  of  the  bish- 
op's following  in  Philadelphia.  Thelist  will  be  at  once  recog- 
nized as  embracing  the  leading  Low  Church  rectors  of  that 
city,  radical  as  well  as  conservative.  The  note  says,  '  The 
list  could  be  enlarged  if  there  were  time.' 

"  What  roots  this  new  Church  will  strike  in  the  strongest 
Low  Church  city  in  the  country  the  circular  will  show  to  the 

most  enthusiastic  revolutionist. 

"R.  Heber  Newton, 

' '  Rector  of  the  Ant  ho  n  Memorial  Church. 
"  December  1,1873. 

"  A   CARD. 

"  The  undersigned,  having  heard  with  profound  sorrow 
of  the  movement  now  making  by  Bishop  Cummins  for  the 
organization  of  a  new  '  Church  on  the  basis  of  the  Prayer 
Book  of  1785,'  desire  to  say  that  they  have  no  sympathy  with 
this  measure,  and  that  it  does  not  represent  the  views  and 
feelings  of  Evangelical  men. ' ' 

Then  follow  the  names  of  nineteen  of  the  Low 
Church  clergy  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

The  "  roots  of  this  new  Church  "  have,  by  God's 
blessing,  struck  deep  into  the  soil  of  the  City  of  Bro- 
therly Love.  Within  the  walls  of  scz'en  noble 
churches  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  in  all 
its  purity  and  simplicity,  may  be  heard  each  Sunday, 
and  on  other  days.  The  beloved  and  revered  bishop 
of  that  jurisdiction  wields  an  influence  mighty  and 
far-reaching.  One  of  the  present  pastors  of  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church  in  Philadelphia  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  that  card.  Another  has  said  "  That  of 
the  acts  of  this  life  that  signing  was  the  one  he-most 
regretted.  * ' 


432  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

On  the  ist  December  the  following  proclamation 
was  sent  forth  : 

"  Notice  has  been  received  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  diocese  of  Kentucky  that  a  pre- 
sentment for  trial  of  George  David  Cummins,  D.D.,  has  been 
prepared,  for  offences  number  three  and  five  of  section  one, 
canon  nine,  title  two,  namely  :  First,  for  violation  of  the  con- 
stitution and  canons  of  the  General  Convention  ;  second,  for 
breach  of  his  consecration  vow. 

"  Be  it  known,  therefore,  that  any  Episcopal  act  of  his, 
pending  these  proceedings,  will  be  null  and  void  ;  and  it  is 
hoped  that  respect  for  law  and  order  on  the  part  of  all  mem- 
bers of  this  Church  will  restrain  them  from  giving  any  coun- 
tenance whatever  to  the  movement  in  which  Dr.  Cummins  is 

engaged. 

"  B.  B.  Smith, 

''''Bishop of  Kentucky  a}id Presiding  Bishop. 
HOBOKEN,  December  ist,  1873. 

It  is  scarcely  needful  to  add  here  that  no  such 
presentment  or  trial  was  attempted,  all  legal  advisers 
recognizing  the  fact  that  Bishop  Cummins  was  no 
longer  a  bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
Having  by  his  own  act  separated  himself  from  that 
body,  he  was  no  longer  amenable  to  its  laws. 

We  quote  from  the  Journal  of  the  first  General 
Council  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  : 

"Association  Hall  New  York  City,  December  2,  1873. 
"  On  this  day,  the  second  of  December,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventy-three,  after  a  meeting  of  solemn 
praise  and  prayer,  certain  ministers  and  laymen,  formerly 
connected  with  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America,  assembled  at  ten  o'clock  a.m.  in 


THE   FIRST  GENERAL    COUNCIL.  433 


the  building  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  in  the 

city  of  New  York. 

"  The  Right  Reverend  George  David  Cummins,  D.D., 

at  the  close  of  the  devotional  exercises  said  :  '  Christian 
brethren,  by  the  goodness  of  God,  and  under  the  protection 
of  the  just  and  equal  laws  of  this  Republic,  and  in  the  exer- 
cise of  the  invaluable  '  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us 
free,'  you  are  assembled  here  to-day  in  response  to  the  circu- 
lar-letter which  I  will  now  read. '  [Bishop  Cummins  then 
read  the  circular-letter,  which  we  have  given  before  in  these 

pages.] 

"  Colonel  Aycrigg  was  elected  temporary  President,  and 
Mr.  H.  B.  Turner,  Secretary.  After  the  meeting  had  been  or- 
ganized, the  following  Declaration  of  Principles,  as  drawn  up 
by  Bishop  Cummins,  was  read  by  him  and  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee of  five. 

"  I.  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  holding  '  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints,'  declares  its  belief  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  as  the  Word  of 
God,  and  the  sole  rule  of  faith  and  practice  ;  in  the  Creed, 
commonly  called  the  Apostles'  Creed  ;'  in  the  Divine  institu- 
tion of  the  sacraments  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  ; 
and  in  the  doctrines  of  grace,  substantially  as  they  are  set  forth 
in  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  of  religion. 

"  II.  This  Church  recognizes  and  adheres  to  Episcopacy, 
not  as  of  divine  right,  but  as  a  very  ancient  and  desirable 
form  of  Church  polity. 

"III.  This  Church  retaining  a  liturgy  which  shall  not  be 
imperative  or  repressive  of  freedom  in  prayer,  accepts  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  as  it  was  revised,  proposed,  and 
recommended  for  use  by  the  General  Convention  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  a.d.  1785,  reserving  full  liberty 
to  alter,  abridge,  enlarge,  and  amend  the  same,  as  may  seem 
most  conducive  to  the  edification  of  the  people,  '  provided 
that  the  substance  of  the  faith  be  kept  entire.' 


434  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"  IV.   This  Church  condemns  and  rejects  the  following 
erroneous  and  strange  doctrines  as  contrary  to    God's  Word  : 
"  First.  That  the  Church  of  Christ  exists  only  in  one  order 
or  form  of   ecclesiastical  polity. 

"  Second.  That  Christian  ministers  are  '  priests  '  in  an- 
other sense  than  that  in  which  all  believers  are  a  '  royal 
priesthood.' 

"  Third.  That  the  Lord's  table  is  an  altar,  on  which  the 
oblation  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  is  offered  anew  to 
the  Father. 

"  Fourth.  That  the  presence  of  Christ  in  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per is  a  presence  in  the  elements  of  bread  and  wine. 

"  Fifth.  That  Regeneration  is  inseparably  connected  with 
baptism. 

(Signed)         "George  David  Cummins. 
"Marshall  B.   Smith. 
"  Albert  Crane. 
"  GusTAVus  A.   Sabine. 
"Charles  D.  Kellogg." 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  then,  on  mo- 
tion, unanimously  adopted. 

The  President  then  rising,  said  : 

"  By  the  unanimous  votes  of  ministers  and  laymen  present, 
I  now  declare  that  on  this  second  day  of  December,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
three,  we  have  organized  ourselves  into  a  Church,  to  be 
known  by  the  style  and  title  of  T/ie  Reformed  Episcopal 
Churchy  conformable  with  the  Declaration  of  Principles 
adopted  this  day,  and  with  the  Right  Rev.  George  David 
Cummins,  D.D.,  as  our  Presiding  Bishop." 

The  temporary  president,  Colonel  Benjamin  Ay- 
crigg  then  retired,  and  the  bishop  took  the  chair. 


THE   FIRST  GENERAL    COUNCIL.  435 

The  bishop  presiding  then  offered  prayer,  after 
which  he  delivered  the  following  address,  from  which 
we  quote  : 

"  Brethren  beloved  in  the  Lord  :  Grace  be  unto  you, 
and  peace  from  God  our  Father,  and  from  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  grace  be  with  them  that  love  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity.     Amen. 

' '  We  have  met  to-day  under  circumstances  of  deep  solem- 
nity. Profoundly  do  we  realize  the  overwhelming  responsi- 
bility which  rests  upon  us,  as,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  we  set 
up  our  banner.  Were  it  not  in  his  name,  and  in  simple, 
unfaltering  trust  in  him,  our  hearts  would  indeed  faint  within 
us.  But  in  God  alone  is  all  our  trust.  In  a  consciousness 
of  loyalty  to  Christ  is  our  only  confidence.  In  entire  depen- 
dence upon  the  Holy  Spirit  is  our  only  hope.  If  the  work 
we  inaugurate  to-day  be  of  men,  may  it  come  to  naught.  If 
it  be  of  God,  may  he  grant  us  more  abundantly  '  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  wisdom  '  to  make  us  valiant  for  the  truth,  strong 
to  labor,  and  faithful  in  every  duty,  and  '  rejoicing  to  be 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  his  name. ' 

"  Let  not  our  good  be  evil  spoken  of.  We  have  not  met 
to  destroy,  but  to  restore  ;  not  to  pull  down,  but  to  recon- 
struct. We  would  '  build  again  the  old  waste  places,  and 
raise  up  the  foundations  of  past  generations  ;'  we  would  '  re- 
pair the  breach  and  restore  the  old  paths  to  dwell  in.'  (Isaiah 
58  :  12.)  And  one  in  heart,  in  spirit,  and  in  faith  with  our 
fathers,  who  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  existence  of  this  na- 
tion sought  to  mould  and  fashion  the  ecclesiastical  polity 
which  they  had  inherited  from  the  Reformed  Church  of  Eng- 
land, by  a  judicious  and  thorough  revision  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  we  return  to  their  position  and  claim  to  be 
the  old  and  true  Protestant  Episcopalians  of  the  days  imme- 
diately succeeding  the  American  Revolution.  And  through 
these,  our  ancestors,  we  claim  an  unbroken  historical  connec- 


43^'  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

tion,  through  the   Church   of  England,  with   the  Church   of 
Christ  from  the  earliest  Christian  era." 

Bishop  Cummins  then  gave  a  sketch  of  the  history 
of  the  Prayer  Book  of  1785,  as  revised  and  recom- 
mended by  Bishop  White,  going  back  as  far  as  the 
treaty  of  September,  1783,  at  Paris,  and  following  up 
the  chain  of  events  until  the  rejection  of  the  revised 
book  of  1785,  and  the  acceptance  of  the  one  receiving 
the  sanction  of  the  General  Convention  of  1789,  the 
present  Prayer  Book  in  use  in  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  "  the  Anglican  Church,"  or  the  "  Catho- 
lic Church  in  the  United  States,"  as  it  is  variously 
styled  by  the  parties  within  her  pale,  "  excepting  the 
Articles  of  religion,  the  Ordinal,  the  office  of  Institu- 
tion, and  the  form  of  Consecration  of  a  church.* 
Bishop  Cummins  further  gives  at  length  the  points  of 
difference  between  the  books  of  1785  and  1789,  and 
concludes  thus  : 

"Is  the  Prayer  Book  of  1785,  then,  perfect  ?  free  from  objec- 
tion ?  By  no  means.  Nothing  human  is  free  from  imperfection. 
But  this  we  claim,  that,  since  the  beginning  of  the  Reformation 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  no  Prayer  Book  has  ever  yet  been 
set  forth  so  unexceptionable  and  so  near  conformity  to  Holy 
Scripture.  We  accept  it  as  a  precious  boon  left  to  us  from 
our  fathers,  older  than  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
and  dating  back  to  the  very  infancy  of  our  existence  as  a  na- 
tion. But  we  reserve  to  ourselves  full  liberty  to  amend,  alter, 
enlarge,  or  abridge  this  book,  as  the  Lord  may  guide  us  by  his 
Holy  Spirit.  Nor  do  we  purpose  to  make  this  liturgy  so  im- 
perative or  obligatory  on  the  consciences  of  men  that  it  is 
always  and  only  to  be  used,  or  that  freedom  of  prayer  is  to 
be  denied  and  repressed.  We  thankfully  accept  this  book  from 
our  fathers.  We  will  alter,  amend,  abridge,  or  enlarge  it  only 


THE   FIRST  GENERAL   COUNCIL.  437 

with  great  caution  and  discretion,  and  asking  the  guidance  of 
the  Blessed  Spirit. 

"  This,  then,  is  our  attitude  towards  our  brethren  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  We  are  not  schismatics  (no 
man  can  be  a  schismatic  who  does  not  deny  the  faith);  we 
are  not  disorganizers  ;  we  are  restorers  of  the  old  ;  repairers 
of  the  breaches  ;  reformers.  .  .  .  '  He  knoweth,  and  all 
his  people  shall  know,  that  not  in  rebellion  or  in  transgression 
against  the  Lord  have  we  done  this  thing,  but  that  it  may  be 
a  witness  between  us  and  you,  and  our  generations  after  us, 
that  your  children  may  not  say  to  our  children  in  time  to 
come.  Ye  have  no  part  in  the  Lord.  The  Lord  our  God 
judge  between  us  and  you.' 

"  Towards  all  other  Christian  people,  of  like  precious 
faith,  our  attitude  is  that  only  of  love,  of  sympathy,  and  of 
earnest  desire  to  co-operate  with  them  in  the  extension  of  the 
kingdom  of  the  Redeemer — both  theirs  and  ours.  We  regard 
our  movement  only  as  a  step  towards  the  closer  union  of  all 
Evangelical  Christendom.  For  this  we  shall  labor  and  pray. 
We  gladly  acknowledge  the  validity  of  the  ministerial  orders 
of  our  brethren  whom  God  has  sent  into  his  vineyard,  and 
whose  labors  he  has  accepted  and  blessed.  We  shall  invite 
all  ministers  of  Evangelical  churches  to  occupy  our  pulpits 
and  to  take  part  in  our  services.  And  we  shall  rejoice  to 
meet  them  and  their  flocks  as  often  as  may  be  expedient 
around  the  Lord's  table,  and  acknowledge  that  '  we,  being 
many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  members  one  of  another.' 

"  'And  now  may  the  God  of  peace,  who  brought  again 
from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  great  Shepherd  of 
the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant, 
make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  his  will,  working 
in  you  that  which  is  well-pleasing  in  his  sight,  through  Jesus 
Christ  ;  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever  and  ever. '  Amen.  (He- 
brews 13  :  20,  21). 

"  George  David  Cummins, 
^^  Bishop  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church** 


438  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  address  of  the  bishop  the 
Council  rose  and  sang  the  Gloria  in  Excehis.  Prayer 
was  then  offered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leacock. 

Herbert  B.  Turner,  of  New  York,  was  elected 
Secretary  of  the  Council.  Resolutions  were  offered 
by  Mr.  Albert  Crane,  of  Chicago,  which  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Resolved,  That  there  shall  be  a  General  Council  of  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church — which  shall  be  representative  of 
this  entire  Church — to  be  incorporated  under  that  name,  and 
under  that  name  to  hold  and  dispose  of  temporalities. 

"  Resolved,  That  in  future  the  General  Council  shall  be 
held  annually  on  the  second  Wednesday  in  May. 

' '  Resolved,  That  we  now  elect  four  ministers  and  five 
laymen  as  a  Standing  Committee,  and  three  laymen  as  a 
Committee  of  Finance,  and  one  layman  as  Treasurer." 

These  resolutions  were  seconded  and  carried  unan- 
imously. 

The  following  Standing  Committee  was  unani- 
mously elected  : 

"  Rev.  Marshall  B.  Smith,  of  New  Jersey  ;  Rev.  B.  B. 
Leacock,  D.D.,  of  New  York  ;  Rev.  Charles  E.  Cheney, 
D.D.,  of  Illinois  ;  Rev.  Mason  Gallagher,  of  New  Jersey  ; 
Hon.  George  M.  Tibbits,  of  New  York  ;  Gustavus  A.  Sabine, 
M.D.,  of  New  York  ;  Mr.  Alexander  G.  Tyng,  of  Illinois  ; 
Mr.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  of  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Charles  D. 
Kellogg,  of  New  Jersey. 

"Committee  on  Finance:  Colonel  Benjamin  Aycrigg, 
of  New  Jersey  ;  Mr.  Albert  Crane,  of  Illinois,  and  Mr.  James 
McCarter,  of  New  York. 

"  Mr.  James  L.  Morgan,  of  New  York,  was  elected  Treas- 
urer." 


THE   FIRST  GENERAL   COUNCIL.  439 

After  a  number  ot  resolutions,  touching  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Church,   were  offered  ^^d  adopted 
the  Rev    Dr.  Cheney  was  nominated  as  Bishop  of  the 
N:rfhwest.     He  .4s   duly    elected        The    hyinns 
"Nearer,    my  God,   to  Thee,"   and       Come,   Hol> 
Spirit,   Heavenly  Dove,"   were  sung.      Rev.   M.  ^. 
Smith  and  Bishop  Cummins  offered  prayer,  and  after 
a  vote  of  thanks  was  tendered  to  the\  oung  Men  s  Chris- 
tian Association  of  the  City  of  New  York,  for  the  r 
kindness  in  placing  their  comfortable  rooms  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Council,  the  concluding  prayer  was  offer- 
ed by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leacock  ;  the  benediction  was  pro- 
nounced by  the  bishop,  and  the  Council  adjourned 

The  room  in  which  the  f\rst  Council  met  was  the 
inner  parlor  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
of  New  York  ;  the  outer  parlor  was  crowded  by  per- 
sons who  had  come  to  witness  the  organization  of  the 

uew  Church.  .   , 

At  one  end  of  the  beautiful  room,  on  the  right  as 
you  entered,  was  a  large  table  prepared  for  the  presi- 
dent and  secretary.     To  the  left  of  this  was  a  still 
larger  table,  which  was  filled  by  a  number  of  report- 
ers of  the  secular  and  religious  papers.     The  rest  ot 
the  room  was  filled  by  seats  for  the  members  of  the 
Council      At  one  end  stood  a  group  of  students  from 
the  General  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  on  the  other  side  were  a  number 
of  the  friends  of  the  movement.     It  was  a  most  im- 
pressive scene.     No  one  present  could  fail  to  be  awed 
by  the  quiet  dignity,  the  solemnity  and  impressive- 
ness  of  that  Council  !     On  the  face  of  each  one  was 
impressed  the  full  realization  of  the  responsibility  rest- 
ing on  that  Uttle  band  assembled  in  that  upper  room. 


440  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

A  High  Church  clergyman  acknowledged  that  "  he 
had  come  to  scoff,  but  left  in  tears."  The  writer 
saw  him  as  he  entered,  and  on  his  face  was  an  ex- 
pression that  ill  became  the  professed  follower  of  him 
who  said,  "  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my 
disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another.''  With  a 
scoffing  look  and  contemptuous  smile  he  regarded  the 
little  assembly,  refusing  to  kneel  as  the  earnest  pray- 
ers were  so  solemnly  offered.  But  before  he  left 
tears  were  in  his  eyes,  and  with  deep  emotion  he 
uttered  the  words  given  above. 

Joyfully,  with  overflowing  hearts,  the  band  of  Re- 
formed Episcopalians  dispersed,  prepared  for  the 
conflict  with  God's  own  armor  ;  with  hearts  filled 
with  love  for  all,  yet  strong  in  their  determination  to 
stand  fast  for  the  truth,  they  went  forth  to  meet  what- 
ever of  trial  or  reproach  awaited  them. 

We  give  some  quotations  from  the  various  papers 
of  the  time,  written  by  eye-witnesses  of  the  scene. 
The  New  York  Tribune,  December  3d,  1873,  says: 

"  The  Convocation  at  the  Association  Building  yester- 
day was  one  of  deep  interest  ;  it  may  be  that  its  final  issues 
will  be  momentous  and  influential." 

A  distinguished  Presbyterian  minister  speaks  thus  : 

"  The  Declaration  of  Principles  set  forth  by  this  Reformed 
Church  condemns  and  rejects  many  erroneous  doctrines  of 
the  old  Church.  Its  doctrinal  basis  is  such  as  to  commend  it 
to  all  Christians.  Every  Christian  ought  to  extend  his  hand 
to  them  and  bid  them  God-speed.  He  had  read  the  sermons 
of  Bishop  Cummins  with  profound  interest,  and  as  long  as 
these  brethren  kept  from  error  and  held  to  the  cross,  they 


THE   FIRST  GENERAL    COUNCIL.  44 1 


would  be  sure  of  sympathy  from  Presbyterians  and  Method- 
ists, for  they  were  all  one  Church." 

The  leading  Methodist  Church  paper  of  New  York 
says  : 

"  The  new  organization,  although  small  in  numbers,  in- 
cludes already  some  of  the  most  liberal  and  intelligent  min- 
isters and  laymen  of  the  age.  It  is  not  a  mere  clique  of  dis- 
contents. ...  A  New  Testament  principle  lies  deep 
and  strong  in  the  foundations  of  the  structure.  The  right  of 
private  judgment  is  magnified,  and  the  claims  of  Christian 
brotherhood  are  secured  in  the  Constitution  adopted  by  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church.  The  organization  marks  an 
era  in  ecclesiastical  history,  and  deserves  the  recognition  and 
sympathy  of  all  true  reformers.  It  represents  principles, 
and  promises  results  in  which  liberal  Methodists  are  interested 
in  common  with  all  progressive  Christians  of  whatever  name. 
.  .  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  therefore,  is 
fairly  instituted,  and  is  worthy  of  the  respect  and  confidence 
/)f  the  people  whose  rights  and  spiritual  cultivation  it  offers 
to  promote.  .  .  .  And  so  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church  has  been  a  necessity  of  the  times.  The  whole  move- 
ment has  been  the  result  of  earnest  thought  and  prayer.  It 
will  require  courage  in  its  leaders  to  withstand  the  oppro- 
brium to  which  they  must  necessarily  be  subjected.  But  by 
the  spirit  of  patience  and  the  grace  of  God  bestowed,  the  new 
Church  will  grow  and  become  a  strong  agent,  we  pray,  toward 
the  overthrow  of  every  form  of  error  and  clerical  assump- 
tion." 

One  of  the  leading  New  York  dail)'  papers  of  De- 
cember 21st,  1873,  writes  thus,  as  an  editorial  : 

"  Whatever  the  merits  or  demerits  ^  the  new  movement 
of  which  Bishop  Cummins  and  Bishop  Cheney  are  now  the 


442  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

recognized  leaders,  it  affords  unmistakable  evidence  that 
our  Christianity  has  in  it  the  genuine  elements  of  vitality,  and 
that  we  have  men  in  the  midst  of  us  who  are  as  able  and  as 
willing  as  in  the  darkest  days  of  the  past  to  make  for  con- 
science sake  needed  effort  and  needed  sacrifice.  In  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  Cummins  and  Cheney  were  men  of  recognized 
influence.  That  to  that  Church  both  were  sincerely  attached 
we  have  no  reason  to  doubt,  but  every  reason  to  believe. 
To  sever  themselves  from  that  Church,  as  they  have  done, 
and  to  attempt  to  build  up  a  new  Church,  required  not  a  little 
of  the  spirit  of  the  martyrs  of  olden  times  ;  and,  in  so  far  as 
they  have  stood  up  for  principle,  fought  for  conscience,  re- 
vealed daring,  and  made  sacrifices,  they  have  a  right  to  be 
spoken  of  with  the  highest  respect,  and  they  have  a  claim  on 
the  public  sympathy  and  support.  .  .  .  That  they  are 
men  of  ability,  and  that  their  characters  are  worthy  in  every 
respect  of  their  sacred  profession  has  been  universally  ad- 
mitted. In  the  Episcopal  Church  both  men  were  pros- 
perous. .  .  .  Finding  it  impossible  to  check  the  growing 
evil,  they  claimed  their  rights  as  men  and  as  ministers  of  the 
Gospel,  and  retired  from  an  association  with  which  they  were 
no  longer  in  sympathy.  The  new  Church  is  fairly  launched  : 
it  has  many  friends  and  well-wishers." 

Another  influential  New  York  paper  says  : 

"  The  proceedings  of  the  Convention  which  organized 
the  new  Church  were  conducted  with  dignity.  The  little 
company  of  organizers  seemed  to  be  of  one  heart  and  mind. ' ' 

A  religious  paper  writes  editorially  thus  : 

"  We  were  present  on  Tuesday  of  last  week  when  the 
'  Reformed  EpiscopaJ  Church  '  was  organized,  and  there  were 
some  noteworthy  signs  to  be  observed,  of  which  we  wiU  say 


THE    FIRST  GENERAL    COUNCIL.  443' 

a  word.  It  was  a  serious  business  that  the  bishop  and  they 
that  were  with  him  were  engaged  in.  They  looked  to  God 
for  direction.  There  was  no  self-sufficiency  nor  human  am- 
bition apparent.  The  whole  proceeding  was  that  of  humble, 
prayerful,  conscientious  men,  who  were  not  seeking  their  own 
advancement  nor  the  applause  of  men,  but  the  honor  of  God 
only.  In  the  case  of  Bishop  Cummins  there  was  positive 
sacrifice  of  place,  power,  salary,  and  friends.  He  is  poor  in 
this  world's  goods,  and  goes  out  in  faith  for  conscience 
sake.  .  .  .  But  there  was  no  unseemly  haste  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  new  Council  last  week.  They  moved  slowly, 
and  adjourned  without  any  demonstration  to  challenge  public 
attention.  We  have  not  a  doubt  but  that  it  will  work  for 
good.  It  will  rouse  the  Church  to  inquire  into  the  causes  of 
this  movement,  and  if  it  is  true,  as  Dr.  Tyng,  jr.,  alleges,  that 
the  tendencies  are  Romeward,  every  honest  minister  and  man 
in  the  Church  will  set  himself  against  the  current." 

A  presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
writes  in  the  New  York  Tribune  of  December  12th  thus  : 

"  Had  any  bishop  been  willing  to  aid  in  purifying  the 
Church  of  its  dross,  at  either  of  the  great  epochs  when  the 
opponents  of  prelacy  '  contended  for  the  faith  once  delivered 
to  the  saints,'  the  history  of  the  past  three  hundred  years 
Avould  have  been  very  different.  But  neither  at  the  '  Resto- 
ration '  nor  during  the  great  revivals  of  the  eighteenth  century 
under  the  preaching  of  Wesley  and  Whitefield,  was  any  bishop 
found  willing  to  unite  with  the  multitudes  of  clergy  and  laity 
who  were  ready  to  establish  a  '  Reformed  Episcopal  Church.' 
It  has  been  reserved  to  our  day  to  witness  the 
spectacle  of  a  Protestant  Episcopal  bishop  voluntarily  resign- 
ing for  conscience  sake  the  position,  honors,  and  emoluments 
attaching  to  the  prelatic  rank,  to  aid  in  restoring  to  the 
Churches  of  Christ  a  primitive  Episcopate  and  a  scriptural 


444  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

l*!tur^  purified  from  erroneous  rites  and  phrases.  Bishop 
Cummins  is  the  first  Protestant  Episcopal  bishop  since  the 
days  of  Edward  VI.  who  has  renounced  '  the  yoke  of  bond- 
age '  which  has  so  long  fettered  the  Episcopate,  to  become 
partaker  of  '  the  full  liberty  of  the  Gospel. '  ' ' 

The  above  quotations  will  serve  to  show  the  spirit 
of  the  press  and  of  individuals  who  were  not  con- 
nected with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  with 
respect  to  the  new  organization.  We  have  before  us 
an  immense  amount  of  such  matter,  but  it  is  needless 
to  present  more  to  the  reader.  With  two  more  ex- 
tracts we  will  conclude. 

The  Christian  Union  of  December  loth,  1873,  says  : 

"  The  attitude  of  the  High  Church  party  toward  the  new 
movement  seems  to  us  undignified  and  proscriptive,  and  the 
-  pronunciamento  of  the  senior  bishop  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  declaring  that  any  Episcopal  act  of  Bishop 
Cummins  will  be  '  null  and  void,'  will  probably  fail  of  its  ob- 
ject, since  it  is  pronounced  on  high  Episcopal  authority  to  be 
without  warrant  of  ecclesiastical  law.  Of  the  wisdom  or  un- 
wisdom of  the  step  which  Bishop  Cummins  and  his  friends 
have  taken  we  do  not  presume  to  judge.  Their  right  to  form 
a  new  Church  in  accordance  with  their  own  convictions  will 
be  generally  admitted  ;  and  if,  without  antagonism  or  un- 
wholesome controversy,  they  proceed  to  do  the  work  of  a 
Christian  Church  in  a  Christian  spirit,  they  will  have  the  ear- 
nest sympathy  and  good  wishes  of  all  earnest  Evangelical 
Christians." 

A  venerable  and  beloved  Protestant  Episcopal  cler- 
gyman of  Pennsylvania  writes  as  follows: 

"...  The  above  discussion  was  closed  at  this  point 
by  providential  circumstances.     It   is  published  now  simply 


THE   FIRST   GENERAL    COUNCIL.  445 


as  a  fragment.  There  are  other  topics  bearing  on  this  theme 
which  the  writer  would  have  touched  ;  but  this  cannot  be  at 
present.  He  would  gladly  have  said  something  also  in  de- 
fence of  his  brethren — beloved  and  honored — who  are  Bishop 
Cummins's  associates  in  his  important  movement.  But  their 
record  is  on  high  ;  and  there  is  a  great  work  before  them. 

"  May  the  blessing  of  God  be  upon  them  and  upon  it  !  As 
to  Bishop  Cummins  himself,  he  can  well  afford  to  bide  his  time. 
His  name  will  be  a  household  word  in  the  homes  of  thou- 
sands yet  unborn,  as,  in  the  providence  of  God,  the  founder 
of  a  new  and  noble  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  when 
some  who  stand  higher  before  the  public  now  shall  have 
passed  from  the  world's  thought  ;  to  be  only  remembered, 
perhaps,  when  some  painstaking  Church  antiquarian  of  a  fu- 
ture age  shall  piously  spend  some  of  his  leisure  hours  in  the 
busy  idleness  of  searching,  amidst  the  dust  and  rubbish  of 
history,  for  the  missing  links  in  the  chain  of  Apostolical  suc- 
cession." 

After  Bishop  Cummins  left  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  while  residing  in  Fifty-seventh 
Street,  near  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  he  saw  Rev.  Dr. 
Muhlenburg-  frequently.  The  doctor  was  and  had 
been  a  friend  of  the  bishop's  for  many  years,  and 
naturally,  at  such  a  crisis,  he  sought  advice  from  a 
man  so  much  older  and  of  such  marked  wisdom. 
We  remember  these  interviews  well — one  particu- 
larly, when  the  venerable  doctor  came  over  late  at 
night  to  give  Bishop  Cummins  his  advice.  A  letter 
received  from  Dr.  Muhlenburg  is  here  given  in  full  : 

"St.  Luke's  Hospital,  New  York,  November  25,  1873. 
"  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  thought  much  on  the  momentous 
subject    on  which  you  are  pleased  to  hear  my  advice,  but 
really  I  am  at  a  loss  to  give  any.     '  A  movement  is  a  thing 


44^  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

that  moves,'  and  I  cannot  see  whither  your  present  move  can 
move  but  towards  the  founding  of  another  Church.  This, 
as  yet,  I  fear  to  think  of,  though  it  may  be  what  the  provi- 
dence of  God  designs.  I  have  tried  to  write  something  for 
the  Church  and  State  which  would  not  be  misconstrued.  Not 
succeeding,  I  must  put  it  off  until  I  see  how  things  shape 
themselves,  or  rather  how  they  are  shaped  by  the  Divine  dis- 
poser, who,  in  his  own  way,  will  rule  or  overrule  them  to  the 
glory  and  the  good  of  his  Church. 

"  I  will  call  and  see  you  to  express  my  thoughts  on  one 
point  about  which  I  am  not  sufficiently  clear  to  write. 

"  Earnestly  praying  for  you  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  giving  knowledge  as  well  as  zeal,  I  am  yours  sincerely, 
in  the  one  fold  of  the  great  Bishop  and  Shepherd  of  souls. 

"  W.  A.    MUHLENBURG." 


CHAPTER  XL. 

WORK   IN  THE    REFORMED    EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

Jesus,  while  this  rough  desert-soil 
I  tread,  be  thou  my  guide  and  stay  ; 

Nerve  me  for  conflict  and  for  toil, 
Uphold  me  on  my  stranger-way. 

BONAR. 

Aged  51. 

WE  cannot  tell  the  brief  story  of  Bishop  Cum- 
mins' work  in  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church 
better  than  to  preface  it  with  the  following  interesting- 
letters.  The  first  is  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Parker,  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  who  met  Bishop 
Cummins  in  New  York,  October,  1873  : 

"  London,  December  i,  1873. 
"  My  Dear  Dr.  Cummins  :  I  have  to-day  received  your 
printed  letter,  and  though  very  deeply  engaged  must  take  a 
moment  for  the  expression  of  my  deepest  sympathy  with  you 
in  your  new  attitude  and  relationships.  Wherein  you  have 
suffered  for  the  Master  your  reward  is  sure.  You  know  this, 
yet  it  does  us  good  under  trial  to  hear  our  own  deepest  convic- 
tions reiterated  by  a  friendly  voice.  I  congratulate  you  on 
your  firmness  and  self-denial  :  there  is  a  great  work  before  you 
marked  by  specialties  which  cannot  but  excite  very  profound 
and  devout  interest  throughout  a  wide  circle.  May  the  Holy 
One  give  you  strength,   boldness,   and  emphasis,   that  your 


448  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

testimony  may  tell  upon  sectarianism  with  irresistible  distinc- 
tiveness. 

"  Your  letter — which  I  am  republishing  in  my  paper  this 
week — is  admirable  in  temper.  There  is  no  flutter  of  mere 
petulance  or  excitement  about  it ;  it  is  calm,  moderate,  and 
therefore  strong. 

"  Many  of  us  will  watch  your  movements  with  keen  in- 
terest. They  will  not  be  without  effect  in  this  country — a 
country  so  little,  yet  so  great  ! 

"  You  and  Mrs.  Cummins  must  visit  us,  and  tell  your  tale 
to  British  ears  ;  a  warm  welcome  awaits  you  at  many  an  Eng- 
lish fireside. 

"  With  most  respectful  regards  to  yourself  and  Mrs. 
Cummins,  I  am,  ever  cordially  yours, 

"  Joseph  Parker. 
"31  Highbury  Quadrant^  London/' 

The  second  is  from  the  loved  and  honored  Rev. 
Dr.  Arnot,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland  : 

"  8  Merchiston  Avenue,  Edinburgh,  December  2,  1873. 

"  Dear  Bishop  Cummins  :  A  copy  of  your  letter  of  re- 
signation reached  me  yesterday  evening  ;  and  I  take  the  ear- 
liest opportunity  of  writing  to  express  my  deep  sympathy 
with  you  in  your  effort  to  serve  the  Lord  and  do  right  in  a 
very  difficult  position.  I  am  able  to  comprehend  in  some 
measure  the  kind  of  struggle  thfough  which  you  have  passed  ; 
for  I  was  a  minister  of  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland 
more  than  four  years  before  our  exodus  in  1843. 

' '  While  I  sympathize  with  you  I  am  much  disappointed 
at  the  result.  The  inter-communion  in  Dr.  Hall's  church 
was  an  immense  enjoyment  to  me.  The  act  sent  a  thrill  of 
joy  through  my  heart  ;  for  I  took  it  to  be  a  symptom  of  en- 
largement and  liberality  in  the  Church  that  is  episcopally 
governed  in  the  United  States.     I  felt  that  community  stretch- 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  449 


ing  out  its  arms  in  your  person  to  embrace  the  brethren  in 
the  common  faith  ;  but,  alas  !  the  result  shows  that  it  was 
the  act  of  an  individual,  and  not  of  the  community.  Your 
retirement,  taken  in  connection  with  its  grounds,  constitute 
to  my  mind  the  strongest  evidence  I  have  yet  seen  that  Rit- 
ualism is  the  paramount  power  in  the  Church  known  as  the 
Anglican  ;  for  if  its  strength  on  the  soil  of  America  is  suffi- 
cient to  eject  you,  what  may  it  not  accomplish  with  its  anti- 
quity and  prestige  in  the  more  conservative  and  aristocratic 
society  of  England. 

"  I  especially  lament  that  even  in  the  United  States,  where 
all  the  surroundings  tend  to  foster  freedom  and  liberality, 
the  prelatic  Church  is  not  able  to  endure  that  measure  of  com- 
munion with  brethren  in  the  Lord  which  your  act  implied. 

"  Although  I  have  once  in  my  life  passed  through  a  '  dis- 
ruption,' I  do  not  think  lightly  of  any  such  rending.  Like 
yourself,  we  dreaded  it,  and  shunned  it  to  the  utmost.  It 
was  only  in  the  last  extremity  that  we  consented  to  take  the 
step  ;  that  is,  when,  according  to  our  light,  to  have  shunned  it 
longer  would  have  been  to  obey  men  rather  than  God. 

"  For  my  own  part,  although  all  my  education  has  been 
Presbyterian,  the  longer  I  live  the  more  I  learn  to  let  Chris- 
tianity be  predominant,  and  the  lesser  things  subservient ;  and 
in  particular  I  should  by  no  means  despair  of  a  reciprocal 
approach,  even  to  the  extent  of  union  between  the  Episcopal 
Church  and  our  own,  provided,  .  .  .  and  the  conditions 
do  not  seem  extravagant,  .  .  .  ist.  That  absolute  errors 
should  be  eliminated  from  authorized  P'ormulas.  2d.  That 
the  liturgy  should  not  be  oppressive  in  quantity,  and  not  im- 
posed so  as  to  exclude  free  prayer  in  the  public  assembly. 
And  3d.  That  the  bishops  should  be  the  wisest  and  the  gravest 
of  the  ministers  chosen  and  set  apart  to  superintend  and  in- 
struct— chosen  by  the  Church  itself. 

"  I  am,  in  Christian  and  brotherly  affection,  yours, 

"  William  Arnot." 


450  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

The  third  letter  is  another  from  Rev.  Dr.  Parker, 
of  London  : 

"The  Rosstrappe,  Highbury,  New  Park,  London,) 

January  14,  1874.  \ 

"  My  Dear  Dr.  Cummins  :  Your  letter,  so  welcome  and 
so  cheering,  is  now  before  me.  I  fear  you  did  not  receive  the 
copy  of  the  The  Christian  Shield^  in  which  I  expressed  hearty 
sympathy  with  you  in  your  great  work.  The  paper  will  be 
posted  to  you  regularly,  in  token  of  deepest  interest  in  your 
sacrifices  and  toils.  If  you  will  send  a  special  letter  about 
your  position  for  insertion  in  the  Shield,  it  will  help  your 
cause  very  much  in  the  old  country.  You  are  being  watched 
in  England,  both  sympathetically  and  contrariwise,  so  it  is 
very  important  that  our  information  be  complete  and  authori- 
tative. 

"  It  is  pretty  evident  to  me  that  the  time  will  arrive  when 
you  must  pay  a  visit  to  England  on  this  business.  When  it 
comes  pray  remember  my  name,  and  that  it  means  sympathy, 
welcome,  and  co-operation. 

"  Mrs.  Parker  unites  with  me  in  kindest  regards  to  Mrs. 
Cummins  and  yourself,  and  I  am,  in  the  bonds  of  the  one 
cross,  very  sincerely  yours, 

"  Joseph  Parker. 
"Right  Rev.  Bishop  Cummins." 

Some  weeks  before  Bishop  Cummins  left  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  he  met  the  Rev.  Dr.  Riley, 
founder  of  the  "  Church  of  Jesus,"  in  Mexico,  at 
Philadelphia.  After  Bishop  Cummins's  resignation  of 
the  assistant  bishopric  of  Kentucky  Dr.  Riley  met  him 
frequently  at  his  temporary  residence,  No.  1 1  East 
Fifty-seventh  Street,  New  York.  Dr.  Riley  was  very 
desirous  that  Bishop  Cummins  should  go  to  Mexico 
and  take  charge  of  the  Evangelical  Church  in  that 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  45  ' 


country.  They  had  frequent  interviews  upon  this 
subject,  and  Dr.  Riley  was  present  when  an  informal 
meeting  of  a  few  earnest  and  devoted  clergymen  and 
laymen  took  place  in  Fifty-seventh  Street.  Had  not 
these  brethren  rallied  so  readily  round  Bishop  Cum- 
mins at  this  time,  we  believe  he  would  have  accepted 
Dr.  Riley's  proposition  to  become  the  Bishop  of  the 
"Church  of  Jesus."  But  naturally  he  preferred  to 
accomplish  the  work  which  he  felt  himself  called  to  do 
in  his  native  land. 

The  first  candidate  for  Orders  in  the  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church  was  received  December  7th,  1873. 

On  the  8th  December  the  following  letter  was  re- 
ceived : 

"  40  Beaver  Hall  Terrace,  Montreal,  } 
December  8,  1873.       ) 

"  Dear  Sir  :  I  shall  not  weary  you  with  congratulations 
upon  the  noble  step  you  have  taken,  but  come  at  once  to  the 
object  of  my  letter. 

"  On  ist  January  a  company  of  Christians  are  to  issue  the 
first  number  of  T/ie  Protestant,  a  monthly  periodical  to  be 
devoted  exclusively  to  combating  Ultramontafiism,  Romanism, 
and  Ritualism.  In  Canada  we  have  the  germs  of  the  evil 
which  led  you  to  take  your  noble  stand.  Will  you  send  us 
aid  in  this  battle  ?  One  line  from  your  pen  would  be  as  a 
thunderbolt  in  the  camp,  and  I  am  urged  to  ask  and  beseech 
you  to  give  us  for  our  initial  number  a  short  letter  or  article 
—no  matter  how  brief— even  if  only  a  God-speed.  It  will 
warm  the  hearts  of  thousands  of  your  friends  in  our  Church 
in  Canada.  The  good  you  can  do  in  this  way  will  be  great- 
er than  you  can  imagine.  With  most  sincere  good  wishes, 
and  prayers  that  God  may  spare  you  to  complete  the  good 
work  begun,  I  am,  with  esteem  and  respect,  truly  yours, 

"  H.  V.  H." 


452  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

We  give  another  letter  of  interest : 

"  The  Church  of  Ireland  Protestant  Defence  Association,  ) 
14  Westmoreland  St.,  Dublin,  December  8,  1873.      \ 

"  Right  Reverend  Sir  :  Having  seen  it  announced  in 
the  Romish  Freeman  of  this  day  that  you  had  seceded  from 
the  Episcopal  Church  on  account  of  the  prevailing  Ritualism 
therein,  we  write  to  express  our  sorrow  that  you  have  felt  it 
impossible  to  avoid  doing  so,  while  we,  at  the  same  time,  de- 
sire to  express  our  high  appreciation  of  the  noble  stand  you 
have  felt  called  upon  to  make  against  this  spiritual  leprosy. 

"  We  send  you  by  this  mail  a  copy  of  all  our  papers,  as 
their  spirit  is  likely  to  fall  in  with  your  Protestant  and  Evan- 
gelical sentiments,  and  shall  be  glad  to  have  your  opinion 
upon  this  movement. 

"  I  am,  right  reverend  sir,  yours  faithfully, 

"  S.  G.  Potter,  D.D.,  Clerical  Secretary y 

Under  the  same  date  Mr.  Alexander  G.  Tyng,  of 
Peoria,  111.,  writes  : 

' '  I  think  the  time  has  come  to   organize   a  church  here. 

We  can  take  some  of  the  most  influential  members  of  St. 

with  us.  I  have  apphed  for  the  use  of  a  Baptist  church  here, 
until  we  can  build  a  church.  Already  several  leading  persons 
from  other  churches  have  expressed  their  intention  to  join  us. ' ' 

From  a  Protestant  Episcopalian  in  New  Jersey 
came  a  hearty  God-speed.    We  quote  a  few  sentences  : 

"  My  father  for  forty-three  years  was  a  minister  of  Christ 
in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He  was  the  co-worker 
with  such  men  as  Dr.  Fowles,  Bedell,  Clark,  and  Newton, 
and,  earlier,  with  Benjamin  Allen,  of  old  St.  Paul's.  Where 
now  are  we  to  find  such  men  ?  Under  Rev.  J.  H.  Fowles's 
ministry  I  joined  the  church,  was  confirmed  by  Bishop  Alonzo 


WOEK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  453 

Potter.  About  this  time  I  remember  hearing  you  preach  in 
the  Epiphany,  on  the  '  Denial  of  Peter. '  You  are  charged 
with  being  too  hasty.  I  deny  it,  and  wish  it  had  been  sooner, 
or  that  even  now  two  more  bishops,  calh'ng  themselves  Evangel- 
ical, had  the  Godlike  courage  to  stand  up  with  you.  But  it 
matters  not — the  Lord  '  can  save  by  many  or  by  few. '  It  may 
be  his  plan  that  you  shall  be  the  '  Moses  '  in  so  great  and 
holy  a  cause.  As  Dr.  Newton  lately  said  in  his  church, 
'  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  2ve  are  the  Episcopal  Church,  as 
we  are  they  who  hold  the  real  and  true  faith  on  which  it  was 
originally  founded.'  With  loving  Christian  regard,  I  am, 
dear  bishop,  your  brother  in  Christ,  J.  S . " 

From  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  able  and  esteem- 
ed of  the  Evangelical  Episcopal  clergy  he  received 
the  following  strong  indorsement  of  his  course  : 

"  Philadelphia,  December  ii,  1873. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  Cummins  :  I  have  had  it  in  my  heart 
several  times  since  I  saw  you  last,  not  to  inflict  a  letter  upon 
you  but  merely  to  wish  you  God-speed  in  the  important  work 
in  which  you  are  engaged.  I  cannot  express  the  deep  interest 
that  I  feel  in  its  success.  My  heart  goes  with  it,  and  if  I  were 
a  younger  man  I  should  certainly  go  too.  If  wisely  conducted 
it  will,  I  am  disposed  to  think,  be  the  most  far-reaching  and 
important  ecclesiastical  event  of  the  century. 

"  Excuse  me  for  another  suggestion.  I  hope  that  there 
will  not  be  too  much  delay  in  consecrating  other  bishops.  If  I 
am  correctly  informed  as  to  your  canonical  status  before  the 
Church,  you  cannot  be  regularly  deposed  until  six  months  have 
elapsed.  If  so,  the  validity  of  your  official  acts  during  that 
time  cannot  be  questioned,  however  irregular  they  may  be 
deemed.  This,  I  think,  will  be  a  point  of  much  importance 
in  the  future  history  of  the  new  Church.  I  hope  it  will  be 
well  guarded. 


454  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  I  heard  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  of  our  evangelical 
brethren  in  this  city  say  the  day  before  yesterday,    '  With 

Cummins,  and  Cheney,  and as  missionary  bishops,  men 

will  begin  to  see  that  the  new  Church  is  likely  to  succeed. 
Why,  they  will  be  able  to  outpreach  the  whole  House  of 
Bishops  ! '  I  hope  that  strong  triumvirate  will  be  in  the  field 
as  soon  as  may  be. 

"  Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours  in  the  bonds  of  the 
Gospel. 

"  P.S. — I  spent  a  few  days  with  my  old  friends. 
I  wanted  them  to   be  in  New  York  on  the  2d  inst.     They 
held  back.     They  (like  a  multitude  of  others)  are  waiting  to 
see  some  signs  of  success.  This  they  will  have,  I  trust,  shortly. 

' '  But,  after  all,  our  main  dependence  must  be  in  the  prayers 
of  faith.  Let  God  be  glorified,  and  it  matters  not  what  be- 
comes of  }ne7i  in  such  a  matter. ' ' 

A  gifted  American  authoress  writes  as  follows  : 

"  Philadelphia,  December  15,  1873, 
' '  To  Bishop  Cummins  : 

"  Beloved  Brother  in  Christ  :  In  the  sudden  devel- 
opment of  affairs  in  the  Church  of  our  love,  doubtless  there 
are  many  of  us  standing  just  where  the  children  of  Israel  did 
on  the  borders  of  the  Red  Sea,  waiting  for  the  sure  command 
of  Moses.  In  this  time  of  agitation  we  want  information 
and  direction,  for  the  faith  of  Christians  is  sorely  tried. 
Thousands  have  been  deeply  grieved  and  wounded  by  the 
corruptions  which  have  been  allowed  to  spring  up  among  us, 
with  no  human  hand  to  stay  their  progress,  looking  for  some 
way  of  deliverance.  But  now  that  the  guiding  rod  points  the 
way,  we  are  anxious  to  know  whether  it  is  really  the  hand  of 
God,  and  what  is  duty.  The  cry  of  schism  alarms  many 
timid  souls,  and  it  seems  as  if  there  ought  to  be  in  this  crisis 
some  powerful  pen  writing,  in  a  popular  style,    a  series  of 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCh.  455 


short  simple  tracts  answering  questions  that  are  agitating 
many  minds.     Allow  me  to  name  some  : 

"  What  is  schism  ? 

"  The  bishop  of  the  New  Testament. 

"  The  bishop  of  the  ritualists. 

"  The  word  priest. 

"  The  word  altar. 

"  The  Lord's  table. 

"  The  real  presence. 

"  The  spiritual  presence. 

"  The  baptism  of  the  New  Testament 

"  The  baptism  of  the  ritualists. 

"  The  Romish  confessional. 

"  The  modern  confessional. 

"  The  Church,  etc.,  embracing  all  the  strong  points  of 
sacerdotal  faith  and  practice. 

"  There  are  many  among  us  who  are  greatly  disturbed, 
but  who  have  neither  time  nor  ability  to  wade  through  works 
of  scholastic  theology  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  if  some  one 
with  a  pen  bold  as  Luther's,  and  loving  as  Melancthon's, 
would  issue  a  series  of  tracts  upon  these  subjects,  close  by  the 
side  of  Scripture,  they  would  be  very  useful.  Let  them  be 
simple,  scriptural,  loving,  sent  broadcast  all  over  the  land, 
scattered  freely,  gratuitously,  as  Hannah  More  scattered 
hers 'in  England.  Is  it  not  worth  the  trial  ?  If  it  is  not  tres- 
passing too  much  upon  your  time,  please  answer  by  a  few 
lines  giving  me  your  idea  of  schism,  and  saying  how  this 
strikes  you. 

"  May  the  Good  Shepherd  of  his  flock  guide  us  all,  prays 
your  sister  in  Christ,  H.  B.  McK." 

From  a  missionary  in  China  came  this  letter  : 

"  January  12,1874. 
"  Mv  Dear  Bishop  and  Old  Pastor  :  I  have  just  seen 
your  letter  of  resignation  in  the  papers,   and  send  a  line  of 


45^  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMIMS. 

sympathy  and  love.  I  do  not  know  what  your  plans  and 
the  like  are.  I  have  written  to  Dr.  Sparrow  on  the  subject 
of  your  great  step.  Some  sharp  and  trying  work  has  to  be 
done.  May  God  help  you  and  guide  you  aright,  and  keep 
you  at  every  step. 

"  Yours  with  prayer  and  love.  " 

On  December  8th,  1873,  a  parish  meeting  was  held  in 
Christ  Church,  Chicago,  at  which  it  was  unanimously 
resolved  that  the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Cheney,  D.D., 
should  accept  the  bishopric  to  which  he  had  been 
elected  by  the  First  Council  of  the  Reformed  Episco- 
pal Church,  "  provided  it  would  not  prevent  the  con- 
tinuance of  his  pastorate  among  that  people. ' '  Accord- 
ingly, Bishop  Cummins,  four  clergymen,  and  one  lay- 
man left  New  York  for  Chicago,  December  nth.  The 
journey  was  accomplished  in  safety,  though  the  col- 
lision of  two  trains  caused  a  delay  of  eight  hours  on 
the  road.  Mercifully  no  one  was  fatally  injured. 
Some  miles  from  Chicago  the  following  telegram  was 
put  into  the  hands  of  Bishop  Cummins  : 

"New  York,  December  12,  1873. 
' '  To  the  Right  Rev.  G.  D.  Cummins  : 

"  I  hereby  formally  and  officially  withdraw  all  such  Epis- 
copal authority  as  you  have  heretofore  exercised  under  canon 
thirteenth,  title  first. 

"  B.  B.  Smith,  Bishop  of  Kentucky .'' 

The  daily  papers  oi  Chicago  contained  full  ac- 
counts of  the  consecration.  It  would  be  out  of  place 
to  quote  here  fully  from  the  very  lengthy  descrip- 
tions of  the  services  before  us.  We  will  only  say  that 
the  interest  was  widespread  and  intense.     The  audi- 


won  A'  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  457 


ence  was  immense,  crowding  the  church  to  the  chan- 
cel railing  ;  a  vast  number  stood  throughout  the  long 
services.  Bishop  Cummins  was  assisted  in  the  conse- 
cration by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leacock,  the  Rev.  Mason 
Gallagher,  the  Rev.  W.  V.  Feltwell,  and  the  Rev. 
Charles  H.  Tucker.  The  subject  of  the  bishop's  ser- 
mon was,  "  Primitive  Episcopacy,"  from  the  text  ist 
Peter  5  :  i,  2,  3,  4  verses  ;  his  address  to  Dr.  Cheney 
was  most  impressive  ;  and  the  entire  service  was 
marked  by  great  solemnity  and  dignity,  so  much  so 
that  those  of  the  press  who  were  opposed  to  the  new 
Church  acknowledged  this. 

From  Chicago  Bishops  Cummins  and  Cheney, 
with  some  of  the  clergy  and  laymen,  went  to  Peoria, 
111.,  and  organized  a  church  in  that  important  town 
under  the  name  of  Christ  Church. 

The  church  in  Peoria  at  once  became  a  flourish- 
ing and  important  parish.  At  the  organization,  De- 
cember i6th,  of  this  church,  Bishop  Cummins  made  an 
address,  in  which  he  clearly  set  forth  his  reasons  for 
leaving  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  giving  a 
statement  of  his  present  position,  and  of  those  who 
were  with  him,  and  of  their  future  work. 

At  this  time,  and  immediately  after  the  resignation 
of  his  office  of  bishop  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  as  well  as  for  months  after.  Bishop  Cummins 
received  hundreds  of  letters,  which,  if  printed,  would 
form  many  volumes.  We  cannot  even  make  short 
extracts  fr^m  these,  lest  they  should  swell  this  record 
to  an  unwieldly  size.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  among 
them  are  many  condemnatory  of  his  course,  while  a 
large  majority  bid  him  a  hearty  God-speed,  and  some 
gave  m  their  names  as  adherents  to  the  new  Church. 


458  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

It  is  now  especially  a  cause  of  thankfulness  that  so 
many  of  these  letters  contain  strong  expressions  oi 
sympathy  for  Bishop  Cummins,  and  even  on  the  part 
of  those  who  could  not  go  with  him,  sincere  and  lov- 
ing words,  assuring  him  of  their  faith  and  confidence 
in  his  motives. 

When  these  letters  are  given  to  the  public,  there 
will  be  not  a  few  who  will  be  surprised  to  find  that 
some  of  the  bishops,  clergy  and  laity  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  as  well  as  of  other  churches,  wrote 
earnest  words  of  kindness  and  encouragement  to  the 
bold  and  brave  standard-bearer  in  this  time  of  conflict 
and  trial. 

On  November  25th,  1873,  the  rector  and  vestry  of 
St.  George's  Chapel,  Chicago,  met  to  express  their 
entire  sympathy  with  Bishop  Cummins,  and  asking  to 
be  admitted  into  the  new  Church.  This  wasthe^r.?^ 
Reformed  Episcopal  church  in  Chicago. 

The  winter  of  1873-4  was  passed  by  Bishop  Cum- 
mins in  New  York,  where  he  held  regular  services  in 
Steinway  and  Lyric  Halls.  On  the  21st  of  January  the 
first  Reformed  Episcopal  church  in  Canada  was  or- 
ganized by  the  Rev.  W.  V.  Feltwell,  at  Moncton,  N.  B. 
The  first  Reformed  Episcopal  church  of  New  York 
was  formally  organized  in  March,  In  February 
Bishop  Cummins  was  invited  to  visit  Ottawa,  Canada, 
for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  congregation  in  the  capita] 
of  the  provinces.  A  church  at  Sussex,  New  Bruns- 
wick, was  soon  after  organized,  and  April  6th  the  first 
Reformed  Episcopal  church  was  established  in  Phila- 
delphia. In  March  Bishop  Cummins's  health  began  to 
fail.  The  intense  excitement,  as  well  as  the  care  and 
anxiety  consequent  upon    such  a  movement,  coupled 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  459 


with  the  abuse  of  enemies,  the  coldness  and  desertion 
of  friends,  besides  the  regular  services  held  in  New 
York,  the  immense  correspondence,  requiring  great 
wisdom  and  judiciousness,  was  more  than  one  of  his 
sensitive  nature  could  bear.  At  first  his  ph3'sicians 
hoped  that  a  short  rest  from  constant  labor  would  re- 
store him.  Accordingly,  he  left  New  York  for  Phila- 
delphia, February  14th,  where  he  spoke  in  behalf  of  the 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church  several  times  ;  but  find- 
ing, as  the  weeks  wore  on,  that  he  grew  no  better,  he 
accepted  the  kind  invitation  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng,  Jr., 
to  occupy  his  country  home  for  a  time. 

On  the  1 8th  March  the  Bishop,  with  his  wife  and 
son,  left  New  York  for  Summit,  New  Jersey,  where 
they  remained  a  fortnight.  In  the  quiet  of  this  lovely 
home  Bishop  Cummins  grew  stronger  ;  but  hearing  of 
the  dangerous  illness  of  his  little  granddaughter,  he 
decided  to  go  for  a  few  weeks  to  Pewee  Valley,  the 
home  of  his  daughter.  While  there,  and  when  his 
little  grandchild  was  still  very  ill,  his  mother-in-law, 
so  truly  beloved  by  him,  was  seized  with  an  attack  of 
apoplexy,  and  later  his  dear  daughter  was  also  taken 
ill.  The  strength  that  had  been  gained  during  his 
quiet  rest  at  Summit  was  lost  in  part  by  reason  of 
these  new  causes  for  anxiety. 

In  April  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Sabine,  of  New  York, 
left  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  resigned  the 
rectorship  of  the  Church  of  the  Atonement,  and  be- 
came rector  of  the  first  Reformed  Episcopal  Church 
in  that  city.  In  May  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Reid  began 
services  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  in  Brook- 
lyn, organized  June  3d.   May  13th,  the  second  General 


460  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Council    was    held  in  New  York,   at  which    Bishop 
Cummins  presided. 

The  latter  part  of  June  Bishop  Cummms,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  young  daughter,  went  to  Clif- 
ton Springs,  Western  New  York,  where  they  passed 
eight  weeks.  Under  the  judicious  treatment  of  Dr. 
Henry  Foster  he  grew  much  stronger. 

June  24th,  he  was  formally  deposed  by  the  bishops 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

July  7th,  his  mother-in-law,  who  by  her  devoted 
love  and  many  earnest  prayers  had  cheered  him  in  his 
path  of  trial,  was  called  home  to  be  with  her  Saviour 
and  "  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect."  There 
they  have  long  ago  met,  mother  and  son,  and  all  the 
weary  pilgrim  way  has  been  forgotten  in  the  glory  not 
revealed  to  man. 

In  July  a  church  in  Pittsburg  was  organized, 
and  one  in  Louisville.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Neill,  of  Min- 
nesota, also  began  services  in  St.  Paul  and  Minne- 
apolis. 

Letters  were  received  during  the  autumn  of  1873, 
and  the  spring  and  summer  of  1874,  from  clergy- 
men and  laymen  of  the  Free  Church  of  England, 
expressing  a  wish  to  unite  with  the  Reformed  Episco- 
pal Church.  Bishop  Cummins  corresponded  with 
these  brethren  for  some  months,  and  finally  it  was 
decided  that  Colonel  Aycrigg  should  visit  England  as 
the  accredited  representative  of  the  Reformed  Epis- 
copal Church. 

The  last  of  August,  Bishop  Cummins  left  Clifton, 
where  he  had  passed  ?»  pleasant  summer  among  many 
sympathizing  friends,  and  in  that  atmosphere  of 
Christian  love  and  fellowship  so  congenial  and  grate- 


WORK  IX  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  4^1 

ful  to  him  at  that  time  especially,  and  went  first  to 
Hoosac  to  visit  his  friend,  Mr.  George  M.  Tibbits. 
From  that  lovely  English-like  home  he  went  to  Sara- 
toga for  a  few  days,  and  sojourned  at  a  quiet  home 
there. 

While  at  Clifton  the  following  editorial  appeared 
in  the  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  Daily  Bulletin.  We  quote 
from  the  article,  July  31,  1874  : 

"  The  bishop  is  about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  of  fine  phy- 
sique, an  impressive  and  dignified  bearing,  but  kindly  and 
courteous,  and  readily  accessible  to  all  who  approach  him. 
He  is  precise  in  his  use  of  language,  but  not  pedantic,  and 
impresses  one  as  a  gentleman  of  much  thought  and  culture, 
but  who  has  not  buried  in  the  study  of  books  and  dogmas 
his  natural  geniality  of  heart  and  large  sympathy  with  and 
for  humanity.  He  is  evidently  a  man  who  is  sincere  in  what 
he  utters,  and  whose  heart  is  in  the  movement  in  which  he 
is  engaged.  He  received  our  reporter  cordially  and  readily, 
and  frankly  answered  the  questions  put  to  him.  The  bishop 
throughout  the  interview  expressed  his  views  candidly  and 
without  reserve,  but  without  any  appearance  of  egotism, 
seeming  rather  to  prefer  talking  about  the  Reformed  Epis- 
copal movement,  and  the  principles  involved  in  it,  than  about 
himself." 

While  in  Ottawa  Bishop  Cummins  ordained  the 
Rev.  John  Todd  to  the  presbyterate.  The  scene  is 
thus  described  by  one  who  was  present : 

* '  A  ceremony,  the  like  of  which  has  never  been  witnessed 
in  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and  perhaps  not  in  the  wide 
world,  was  performed  last  evening  in  St.  Andrew's  Church, 
Wellington  Street,  viz.,  the  ordination  of  an  Episcopal  pres- 
byter by  an  Episcopal    bishop,    assisted  by  non-Episcopal 


4^2  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

clergymen.  Notwithstanding  the  extreme  heat,  the  church 
was  filled  with  an  attentive  and  devout  audience.  The  usual 
opening  service  over,  the  Ordination  service  began,  the  bishop 
reading  the  collect,  epistle,  and  gospel  ;  after  which  he  ad- 
dressed the  candidate  in  a  most  earnest  and  impressive  man- 
ner. The  clergymen  present,  four  in  all,  united  in  the  laying 
on  of  hands.  The  bishop  then  addressed  the  congregation 
and  expressed  his  joy  at  being  able  to  show  that  he  believed 
that  all  Evangelical  clergymen  were  validly  ordained  ministers 
of  the  Church  of  God.  He  spoke  in  high  praise  of  Knox, 
Wesley,  Calvin,  and  Luther,  as  being  the  shining  lights  of  the 
Reformation.  The  service  concluded  by  singing  hymn  138, 
and  prayer  and  the  benediction." 

On  the  8th  September,  1874,  Bishop  Cummins 
laid  the  corner-stone  of  Emmanuel  Church,  Ot- 
tawa, Canada.  The  scene  was  a  most  impressive 
one.  The  arrangements  were  so  complete  that  the 
large  number  of  people  present  were  comfortably 
accommodated,  and  the  services  were  marked  by 
deep  emotion  on  the  part  of  the  congregation  who 
had  so  bravely  encountered  reproach  for  the  sake  of 
truth.  As  early  as  the  12th  February  the  little  band 
met,  and  after  organizing  requested  Bishop  Cum- 
mins to  visit  them.  This  he  was  prevented  from  do- 
ing by  illness  ;  but  he  sent  Rev.  Mason  Gallagher,  the 
brave  pioneer  minister  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church,  in  his  place.  This  earnest  and  faithful  cler- 
gyman remained  in  Ottawa  until  the  congregation 
were  strong  enough  to  call  a  rector.  In  August 
Bishop  Cheney  visited  this  parish  and  held  a  confir- 
mation. 

In  September  this  band  of  devoted  Protestants 
were  cheered  by  the  arrival  of  the  founder   and  pre- 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  4^3 

siding  bishop,  who  remained  with  them  some  time. 
In  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  this  beautiful 
Gothic  church,  Bishop  Cummins  was  assisted  by  the 
pastor  of  the  church  and  two  clergymen  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  and  Presbyterian  Churches.  An  elegant  silver 
trowel  was  presented  to  the  bishop  by  the  church, 
wardens  and  vestry  of  Emmanuel  Church,  and  has 
this  inscription  :  "  Presented  to  the  Right  Reverend 
Bishop  Cummins,  D.D.,by  the  Church-wardens  and 
Vestry,  on  the  laying  of  the  Corner-stone  of  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church,  Elgin  Street,  Ottawa,  Sep- 
tember 8th,  1874." 

This  trowel  was  given  to  the  presiding  bishop,  the 
Right  Rev.  C.  E.  Cheney,  D.D.,  July,  1876,  to  be 
used  in  laying  the  corner-stones  of  the  Reformed  Epis- 
copal churches.  "  Bishop  Cummins's  address,"  says 
one  present  on  the  occasion,  "  was  a  most  able  and 
eloquent  one,  being  characterized  by  much  force  and 
vigor."  From  Ottawa  Bishop  Cummins  went  to 
Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  where  he  preached  several 
times  and  confirmed  a  class  in  the  chapel  of  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church  in  that  town. 

From  Binghamton  he  visited  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  preached  and  addressed  the  congregation  there, 
which  met  in  a  hall,  and  was  the  guest  of  a  dear 
friend,  one  of  the  vestry  of  his  old  church  (Trinity). 

After  passing  some  pleasant  days  in  this  his  old 
and  well-loved  home,  he  turned  his  face  westward. 
In  Louisville  he  officiated  several  weeks  for  the  con- 
gregation in  that  city,  and  confirmed  a  class.  From 
Louisville  he  went  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  held  ser- 
vices several  times,  and  from  there  he  journeyed  to 
New     Brunswick,     Canada,    where    he    visited     the 


464  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


churches  at  St.  John,  Moncton,  and  Sussex,  holding  a 
number  of  services  and  confirming  classes. 

November  8th,  assisted  by  Rev.  M.  B.  Smith,  he 
held  services  in  Toronto,  where  a  church  was  organ- 
ized— there  are  now  two  in  that  city.  Mr.  Smith 
and  Colonel  Aycrigg  accompanied  Bishop  Cummins  to 
New  Brunswick  also.  This  autumn  Dean  Cridge,  of 
Victoria,  British  Columbia,  and  Rev.  Dr.  W.  R. 
Nicholson  united  with  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church.  They  are  now  bishops  of  that  Church,  the 
one  having  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Pacific  coast,  the 
other  that  of  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware. 

The  second  Reformed  Episcopal  church  in  Phila- 
delphia assembled  for  services  in  this  month  (Novem- 
ber 25th),  Rev.  Dr.  Nicholson,  rector. 

After  this  extended  tour  Bishop  Cummins  took 
lodgings  in  Baltimore,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 
a  church  in  that  city.  He  began  services  at  Lehman's 
Hall,  Howard  Street,  December  27th,  1874,  and  con- 
tinued them  as  regularly  as  his  other  duties  would 
allow.  During  this  winter  he  was  called  to  organize 
churches  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  other  places.  In 
February  the  church  in  Baltimore  was  organized, 
and  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Johnson,  of  Macon,  Ga.,  and 
formerly  of  the  Proiestant  Episcopal  Church,  was 
called  to  take  temporary  charge. 

Before  the  close  of  this  year  several  churches  were 
established,  and  a  number  of  clergymen  joined  the 
new  Church. 

We  give  extracts  from  letters  received  by  Bishop 
Cummins  during  the  winter  of  1873-4,  and  later  from 
clergymen  of  the  Free  Church  of  England. 

The  first  is  dated  : 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  465 


"  Hertfokdshire,  England,  December  if,  1873. 
"  It  was  with  the  deepest  interest  that  I  recently  read  in 
the  Church  Times  the  noble  letter  in  which  you  give  the  rea- 
sons of  your  secession  from  the  American  Episcopal  Church. 
My  heart  responded  to  your  every  word.  May  God  grant 
that  your  bold  witness  for  Evangelical  truth  may  help  to  stay 
that  pernicious  tide  of  Ritualism  which  I  grieve  to  see  is  making 
rapid  progress  in  your  country  as  in  our  own.  I  perceive 
from  your  letter  that  you  propose  to  form  a  truly  Evangelical 
Church  upon  the  basis  of  a  thoroughly  revised  and  purged 
Prayer  Book.  It  is  with  regard  especially  to  this  latter  sub- 
ject that  I  have  felt  moved  to  write  to  you." 

Another  clergyman  writes  : 

"Surrey,  England,  December  17,  1873. 
"  By  the  last  mail  I  have  forwarded  documents  descrip- 
tive of  the  principles  and  work  of  the  Free  Church  of  Eng- 
land. This  Church  was  established  some  years  ago  to  coun- 
teract the  growth  of  Ritualism  in  the  Church  of  England.  It 
has  been  carefully  organized,  and  is  awaking  considerable  in- 
terest in  this  country,  and  many  new  churches  are  in  course 
of  foundation.  It  will  appear  to  you,  I  think,  from  the  infor- 
mation sent,  that  the  Free  Church  of  England  in  its  consti- 
tution and  aim  exactly  meets  the  case  of  the  Reformers  in 
the  Church  of  America,  and  the  points  brought  forward  at 
the  meeting  in  New  York  on  the  2d  inst^as  far  as  I  can 
gather  from  a  short  newspaper  report — indicates  a  remark- 
able identity  of  views.  The  ground  you  desire  to  take  is 
exactly  the  ground  we  occupy,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  this 
circumstance  may,  in  the  hands  of  an  All-wise  Providence, 
be  the  means  of  effecting  a  powerful  Protestant  Union  for 
the  maintenance  of  Evangelical  Church  principles  in  both 
countries.  I  am  writing  unofficially,  but  I  know  the  feeling 
of  my  brethren,  and  without  waiting  for  our  next  Council 


4^6  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

meeting,  hasten  to  express  my  personal  admiration  of  your 
courage  and  fidelity  to  the  truth,  my  heartfelt  sympathy  and 
my  earnest  and  prayerful  hope  that  our  blessed  Lord  will 
guide  and  sustain  you. 

"  I  am,  right  reverend  and  dear  sir,  faithfully  yours  in 
Christian  fellowship,  F.  S.  M ." 

We  give  another  letter  written  from  England  about 
the  same  time  : 

"London,  December  19,  1873. 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  :  We  have  just  heard  that  you 
iind  some  other  clergymen  met  at  New  York  on  the  2d  inst., 
and  resolved  to  establish  a  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  for 
America,  with  the  special  design  at  the  present  of  opposing 
Ritualism  in  your  great  and  growing  country.  The  stand  you 
have  made  is  worthy  of  the  men  to  whose  self-denying  and 
devoted  labors  the  Episcopal  Church  owes  its  origin  in 
America — the  men  who  founded  the  society,  De  promove?ido 
cvatigelio  in  partibus  ininsmarinis,  and  who  declared  their  de- 
sign to  be  '  the  administration  of  God's  Word  and  sacraments, 
.  .  to  instruct  the  people  in  the  principles  of  true  re- 
ligion, aind  to  oppose  divers  Romish  priests  and  Jesuits  who 
had  been  encouraged  to  draw  them  over  to  Popish  supersti- 
tion and  idolatry.' 

"  The  principles  of  the  new  organization  as  reported  to 
us  appear  to  be — -the  Word  of  God  the  sole  rule  of  faith  and 
practice  ;  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,  on  the  basis 
of  the  Evangelical  interpretation  ;  Episcopacy,  not  as  of  di- 
vine right,  but  as  a  very  ancient  and  desirable  form  of  Church 
polity  ;  a  purified  liturgy,  etc.  You  reject  baptismal  regen- 
eration, the  sacrificial  theory  of  the  eucharist,  and  that  Chris- 
tian ministers  are  priests. 

"  Hail  to  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  of  America  ! 
\Ve  wish  you  good  luck  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ! 


WORJi'  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  467 

"  I  write  on  behalf  of  the  Free  Church  of  England.  Your 
platform  and  ours  are  nearly  identical.  We  offer  you  the  right 
hand  of  fraternal  salutation.  We  are  willing  to  take  counsel 
together  and  to  co-operate — on  the  ground  of  perfect  equality 
— in  pursuit  of  the  great  object  for  which  we  ecclesiastically 
exist.  May  there  be  given  us  a  sound  understanding  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord.  I  have  requested  that  our  publications  be 
sent  to  you  forthwith,  that  you  may  see  we  have  not  been  idle, 
and  that  we  have  not  halted  between  two  opinions  in  revising 
the  Prayer  Book.  We  have  cut  out  the  priestly  element  wher- 
ever we  found  it.  We  have  revised  the  Catechism,  utterly 
casting  out  baptismal  regeneration,  and  placing  in  its  stead 
the  way  of  salvation  as  taught  by  Christ  and  his  apostles. 

"  May  God,  by  his  Holy  Spirit,  direct  us  in  all  things. 
"  I  am,  yours  faithfully, 

"  T.  C.  T . 

"  To  THE  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Cummins,  New  York.''' 

Though  other  letters  from  which  we  make  extracts 
were  written  later,  we  give  them  here  in  preference 
to  separating  them  from  those  of  earlier  dates  : 

"    Ilfracombe,  England,  March,  10,  1874. 
' '  To  the  Ri^ht  Rev.  Dr.   Cummins  : 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  It  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  for- 
ward to  you  the  inclosed  document  from  the  '  Council  of  the 
Free  Church  of  England, '  and  to  add  a  few  words  of  greeting 
from  myself  as  expressive  of  the  interest  I  take  in  your 
movement. 

"  I  have  not  been  unacquainted  with  the  undercurrent 
that  has  been  secretly  at  work  in  your  midst  for  some  time 
past,  and  of  the  interest  taken  by  many  among  you  of  our 
doings  here  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  But  I  was  not  pre- 
pared for  the  bold  course  which,  by  God's  grace,   you  have 


468  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

been  able  to  take,  and  which  has  so  suddenly  brought  to  the 
surface  in  a  tangible  form  the  workings  of  many  hearts  ;  and 
the  result  shows  that  the  time  had  come.  I  bless  God  for 
the  grace  he  has  given  you,  and  I  pray  that  you  all  may  have 
wisdom  to  do  the  work  God  has  given  you  to  his  glory. 
May  he  give  you  and  us  '  the  spirit  of  power  and  of  love 
and  of  a  sound  mind,'  '  that  ye  be  perfectly  joined  together 
in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgment.' 

"  I  am,  my  dear  bishop,  faithfully  and  fraternally  yours 
in  Christ,  B.  P . " 

From  a  long  and  most  interesting  letter  from  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  we  quote  the 
following  sentences  : 

"  It  is  with  feelings  of  thankfulness  and  pleasure  of  no 
common  kind  that  many  Protestant  English  Churchmen 
have  heard  of  the  origin  and  progress  of  '  The  Reformed  Epis- 
copal Church.'  Alas  !  alas  !  that  such  a  protesting  Church 
should  be  so  absolute  a  necessity  in  these  days  of  nineteenth 
century  light  and  freedom.  Yet  in  England,  as  in  America, 
the  Ritualistic  leaven  is  spreading  among  our  churches  with 
alarming  rapidity.  You  must,  I  am  sure,  be  glad  to  hear 
that  in  the  mother  country,  as  in  your  own  land,  Christian 
men  have  been  found  willing  to  utter  indignant  protests 
against  the  U7tscriptural  and  a«//- Protestant  practices  of  the 
Ritualists.  The  object  of  my  now  addressing  you  is  that 
through  your  kindness  and  Christian  courtesy  I  may  be  better 
informed  as  to  the  organization  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church,  and  whether  it  would  be  possible  for  myself  and  con- 
gregation to  join  such  Church.  Your  Episcopal  title  being 
as  indisputable  as  any  of  the  English  Bishops,  .  .  .  would 
it  be  possible  for  you  to  consecrate  two  or  three  missionary 
bishops  for  England,  who  should  form  an  English  branch  of 
the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  having  yourself  as  president 


IVORA'  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  469 

of  the  entire  body  ?  I  am  not  alone  in  the  persuasion  that 
could  such  a  course  be  adopted  it  would  be  the  commence- 
ment of  an  important  religious  movement  in  this  country — a 
movement  of  all  the  more  importance  because  of  the  inability 
of  the  Ritualists  to  question  the  orders  of  the  Reformed 
Church  clergy.  With  my  best  wishes  for  the  success  of  your 
glorious  work,  I  beg  to  remain,  right  reverend  sir,  your  most 
obedient,  . ' ' 

In  a  letter  dated  17th  April,  1874,  to  Bishop  Cum- 
mins, we  find  the  following  : 

"  We  have  held  recently  a  meeting  of  the  entire  midland 
district  of  the  Free  Church  of  England.  Your  Reformed 
Church  movement  was  one  of  the  subjects  brought  before  us, 
when  great  sympathy  was  expressed  for  you.  There  is  in 
England  a  wonderful  opening  for  this  movement,  and  which 
we  trust  and  believe  that  providence  will  make  you  the  in- 
strument of  using  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  spread  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom.  My  letter  fairly  represents  the  feelings 
and  views  of  many,  and  will  be  followed  shortly  by  a  document 
of  a  more  official  character.  Meanwhile,  praying  that  the  bless- 
ing of  Almighty  God  may  rest  upon  you  and  your  great  work, 
I  am,  right  reverend  and  dear  sir,  yours  obediently, 


Another  clergyman  sends  this  cordial  invitation  : 

"  May  14,  1874. 

"  Right  Rev.  and  Dear  Bishop  :  Your  valued  letter  of 
April  25th   has    duly  reached  me,  almost  at  the  same  time 
as  the  information  that  the  union  of  your  Church  with    the 
Free  Church  of  England  has  been  advanced  a  stage. 
I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  of  your  illness.     After  the  excitement 


470  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 


incident  to  such  a  step  as  you  have  taken  it  is  no  wonder  that 
health  should  fail. 

"  Cannot  our  brethren  in  America  spare  you  to  us  for  a 
little  ?  We  live  on  the  most  elevated  and  beautiful  part  of 
the  hill,  and  I  can  only  say  how  heartily  my  dear  wife  joins 
with  me  in  urging  you  to  spend  a  month  with  us.  The  voy- 
age, and  the  quiet  you  would  get  here,  together  with  our  fine 
air  and  the  tonic  effect  of  climbing  our  far-famed  hills,  would, 
I  am  sure,  do  much  to  restore  you  ;  and  but  for  one  little  ser- 
vice I  will  ask  from  you  you  may  be  as  retired  as  you  like 
while  I  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  driving  you  about  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

"  It  happens  that  I  have  been  building  a  new  church  here, 
which  is  nearly  completed,  and  will,  we  expect,  be  ready  for 
opening  at  the  beginning  of  July.  It  would  serve  me  greatly 
if  you  could  take  some  prominent  part  in  the  opening  services. 

"  In  addition  to  this,  it  would  undoubtedly  help  the  work 
in  England  if  you  could  meet  the  brethren  here,  and  discuss 
with  us  personally  the  prospects  and  possibilities  of  the  future. 
I  do  trust  that  you  will  be  able  to  give  us  this  pleasure. 

"  Right  reverend  and  dear  sir,  yours  very  faithfully, 


"Committee  Rooms,  Spa  Fields,  London,  W.  C,  ) 

January  I2,  1875.      \ 

"  Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  :  We  are  authorized  by  the  Coun- 
cil to  give  you  a  cordial  invitation  to  meet  us  at  our  Convo- 
cation in  June  next,  and  to  take  part  in  the  proceedings. 

"  We  hope  nothing  will  hinder  your  coming,  and  we  shall 
look  forward  to  your  arrival  with  great  interest. 

"  Please  convey  the  full  fraternal  greetings  of  the  Free 
Church  of  England  to  the  beloved  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church  of  America. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Council,   on  behalf  of  my  fellow- 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  47 1 

secretary,  the  Rev.   J.  Sugden,  B.A.,  and  myself,  I  am,  rev- 
erend and  dear  sir,  yours  faithfully, 

"  Thoi\la.s  E.  Thoresbv. 
"  Bishop  George  David  Cummins, 

38  Bible  House,  New  York  City.'' 

The  two  following  letters  were  received  from  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  clergymen  : 

"  Philadelphia,  January  22,  1874. 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  :  I  have  but  a  moment  to  write  ;  I 
wish  to  say  that  I  have  just  met  a  number  of  our  leading 
young  men  at  dear  Dr.  Sparrow's  funeral,  and  was  glad  to 
find  such  warm  expressions  of  deep  interest  in  the  new  Church 
as  were  openly  uttered  by  several.  The  older  men  were  not 
nearly  so  appreciative  or  cordial  in  their  remarks.  ...  I 
have  just  read  your  Constitution,  and  rejoice  to  see  that  you 
have  made  the  Church  so  thoroughly  Democratic,  by  giving 
representation  on  the  basis  of  the  communion  list,  and  by 
doing  away  with  the  upper  House.  These  are  very  wise  pro- 
visions, and  will  do  much  to  popularize  the  movement  and 
preserve  the  purity  of  the  faith. 

"  You  know  and  appreciate  my  position.  I  w^ant  to  see 
this  sister  Church  a  great  success  though  I  should  never  join 
it.  I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty  to  do  all  that  lies  within  me  to 
reform  the  old  Church.  I  have  hope  in  this  direction,  and 
shall  invite  a  full  and  free  discussion  from  now  till  October, 
when  an  honest  and  strong  effort  will  be  made  for  a  relaxation 
of  canons,  revision  of  the  Prayer  Book,  and  discretionary  use 
of  it.  This  rejected,  our  Evangelical  men  will  become  united 
in  other  action,  and  the  laity  will  be  aroused  to  the  necessity 
of  supporting  the  clergy  in  such  action. 

"  Excuse,  affectionately  yours. 


47^  GEORGE  DA  VI D  CUMMINS. 

"Baltimore,  February  4,  1874. 

"  Dear  Bishop  :  May  I  trouble  you  to  send  me  the  promi- 
nent attacks  upon  your  movement  ;  the  letters  of  Bishop 
Potter  and  Dr.  Hall,  or  any  thing  you  find  at  hand  which  tells 
the  general  tone  and  feeling  in  the  Episcopal  Church  about  it. 

"  I  do  not  write  to  express  sympathy  with  you  in  your 
position.  A  clear  mind  and  conscience,  and  a  close  walk 
with  God  lifted  you  above  the  fear  of  man,  which  brings  a 
snare.  And  I  am  sure  you  are  happy  in  the  consciousness  of 
duty  to  the  truth. 

' '  Truly  and  affectionately  yours. 


The  following  fraternal  communication  was  re- 
ceived from  a  clergyman  of  a  sister  Communion  : 

"  Princeton,  N.  J.,  February  19,  1874. 
"  Right  Rev.  Geo.  D.  Cununins  : 

"  Dear  Sir  :  The  writer  is  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  Princeton.  He  has  observed  with  great  interest 
the  movement  in  which  you  are  engaged,  and  greatly  honors 
you  for  the  course  you  have  taken. 

"  The  object  of  my  writing  is  to  request  you  to  visit  Prince- 
ton, and  unite  with  us  in  our  worship  on  the  first  Sabbath  of 
April  next.  It  is  the  day  of  our  regular  communion,  when 
the  Rev.  Drs.  Hodge  and  McCosh,  and  the  Professors  and 
students  of  the  seminary  and  college  unite  with  us.  My  wish 
is  that  you  should  at  least  preach  the  sermon  on  that  occa- 
sion, and  preach  also  in  the  evening,  when  you  will  be  likely 
to  have  all  the  members  of  both  institutions,  and  as  many  of 
the  people  of  our  community  as  the  church  will  comfortably 
hold  to  hear  you. 

' '  Please  let  me  hear  from  you  at  an  early  day,  and  accept 
assurance  of  my  sincere  Christian  regard. 

"Yours,  J.  M.  Macdonald." 


WOR/C  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  473 

The  following  communication  appeared  in  a  relig- 
ious paper  from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  influential  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  laity — 
Stewart  Brown,  Esq. — fully  justifying  the  action  of 
Bishop  Cummins  : 

"  New  York,  March  2,  1874. 
' '  To  the  Editor  of  the  Independent : 

"Dear  Sir:  In  your  friendly  notice  of  Bishop  Cum- 
mins's  movement,  which  I  have  seen  in  the  Church  and 
State,  taken  from  your  paper,  you  say  '  that  the  place  for  Re- 
formed Episcopalians  is  where  there  are  Episcopalians  who 
need  reforming,  and  nowhere  else.'  This  would  be  true  if 
there  were  any  possibility  of  reforming  them  in  the  present 
organization  ;  but,  as  one  of  the  ablest  seceders,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Latane,  of  Virginia,  has  well  said,  the  battle  has  been 
fought  ///  the  Church  and  lost  by  the  evangelical  party. 
There  was  a  time  when  that  party  had  such  champions  as 
Bishops  Moore  and  Meade,  of  Virginia  ;  Doctors  Bedell,  Mil- 
ner,  Mcllvaine,  Cutler,  Jackson,  Eastburn,  the  two  Johns, 
Tyng,  and  some  others,  who  fought  manfully  for  the  doctrine 
of  justification  by  faith  alone.  There  was  a  time  when  Low 
Churchmen  fully  hoped  the  pure  Gospel  would  have  free 
course  and  be  glorified  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
But  alas  !  how  they  have  been  disappointed.  They  have 
been  defeated  ;  and  if,  with  such  powerful  and  godly  cham- 
pions and  such  comparative  large  numbers  of  adherents  among 
the  laity,  all  efforts  to  stay  the  errors  in  the  Church  did  not 
succeed,  what,  since  the  death  of  the  before-mentioned  and 
condemnation  of  Bishop  Cummins's  course  by  others  of 
them,  are  we  to  expect  from  continuing  the  fight  with  dimin- 
ished numbers  and  few  clergy  who  proclaim  distinctly  the 
doctrines  of  grace  ?  It  would  seem  that  reformation  and 
peace  cannot  be  had  in  the  Church,  and  that  nothing  was  left 
for  Bishop  Cummins  but  departure  from  her  organization. 


474  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"  It  may  be,  as  you  say,  that  those  who  remain  in  may 
occupy  a  position  that  is  perfectly  logical  ;  but  what  they 
will  be,  with  the  increasing  strength  of  the  dominant  party, 
it  does  not  seem  to  be  difficult  to  predict,  viz.,  either  a 
small  body,  without  influence,  or  an  absorption  into  the 
ruling  party,  which  will  be  a  lamentable  sequel  for  the  cause 
of  Christ. 

"  While  I  say  there  was  no  other  course  for  Bishop  Cum- 
mins to  pursue  (as  without  it  no  changes  would  be  made  in 
the  old  Church  laws  and  Prayer  Book),  his  step  may  bring 
about  a  better  state  of  things  and  prevent  a  violent  disrup- 
tion. The  action  of  the  next  General  Convention  will  deter- 
mine. -  S.  B." 

In  another  published  letter  this  same  venerable  lay- 
man emphatically  remarks  : 

"  We  must  say  that  but  for  Bishop  Cummins.'s  brave  step 
there  would  be  no  hope.  Now  there  may  be  some  hope,  and 
we  ought  to  thank  him  for  opening  up  a  place  of  refuge  con- 
genial to  our  feelings,  should  we  be  driven  from  our  Church. 
It  appears  to  us  his  reasons  are  strong,  and  that  to 
be  consistent,  in  the  present  state  of  our  Church's  laws,  all 
our  evangelical  bishops  ought  to  follow  his  example. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

WORK   IN   REFORMED    EPISCOPAL   CHURCH,    1875— 
{Co)itinHcd). 

"  Remembering  without  ceasing  your  work  of  faith,  and  labor  of 
love,  and  patience  of  hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  our  Father." — i  Thess.  i  :  3. 

Aged  53. 

IN  April,  1875,  Bishop  Cummins  rented  a  stone  cot- 
tage at  Lutherville,  a  village  on  the  Northern  Cen- 
tral Railroad,  and  removed  with  his  family  to  that 
place.  His  son-in-law  and  eldest  daughter  gave  up 
their  sweet  home  in  Pewee  Valle}',  Kj.,  to  be  with 
their  parents,  and  soon  after  their  removal  to  Luther- 
ville circumstances  occurred  which  brought  his  son 
and  daughter-in-law  to  his  little  cottage  home.  The 
summer  of  1875  brought  with  it  a  large  portion  of  the 
brightness  and  gladness  of  other  days.  With  health 
in  a  great  measure  restored,  united  to  his  family  after 
a  long  separation,  the  Church  of  his  love  growing  as 
he  had  not  even  hoped  for,  the  attractions  of  another 
country  home  in  which  he  took  such  keen  delight  — all 
went  to  make  these  months  peculiarly  happy. 

In  May  the  third  General  Council  met  in  Chi- 
cago. While  attending  this  Council  Bishop  Cum- 
mins wrote  thus  : 


47^  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

"  Chicago,  May  15,  1875. 

"Yesterday,  while  in  Council,  your  letter  was  handed 
me,  and  was  most  gladly  welcomed.  You  give  so  pleasant 
an  account  of  the  trees  at  our  home  that  it  makes  the  con- 
trast here  wonderful.  It  is  winter  here  :  cold,  fierce  winds 
are  blowing  over  the  lake,  from  the  north. 

"  It  has  been  impossible  for  me  to  write  to  you  since  my 
last  hurried  note  of  Thursday.  Yesterday  we  had  three  ses- 
sions— morning,  afternoon,  and  night — and  are  in  the  midst 
of  the  discussion  on  the  articles.  Only  about  ten  are  passed, 
about  two-thirds  are  yet  to  be  discussed.  Yesterday  morning 
was  consumed  chiefly  in  receiving  Dr.  Thompson,  delegate 
from  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church.  He  addressed  the  Coun- 
cil at  length,  and  I  replied. 

"  The  Council  has  divided  the  country  into  missionary 
jurisdictions,  and  under  the  canon  each  bishop  must  be  as- 
signed to  one.  The  Eastern,  including  New  England,  New 
York,  and  New  Jersey,  they  will  assign  to  me,  as  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Church  ;  while,  as  Presiding  Bishop,  I  will 
have  all  under  my  care  where  there  is  no  bishop.  To-mor- 
row night  at  Christ  Church  we  are  to  have  a  missionary  meet- 
ing to  help  the  Sustentation  Fund,  and  I  shall  try  to  induce 
the  people  to  take  up  the  work  with  mo?'e  faith.  I  shall  re- 
turn home  immediately  after  the  Council.  Tuesday  is  the 
earliest  day  on  which  we  can  adjourn.  I  sent  you  yesterday 
the  papers  of  Thursday  and  Friday  containing  accounts  of  our 
proceedings.  I  long  to  be  at  home,  but  must  give  myself  to 
the  work  here.  To-morrow  morning  I  preach  on  the  west 
side,  and  ordain  Mr.  Johnson,  of  Ottawa,  a  deacon.  I 
preached  the  opening  sermon  at  the  Council.  And  now  it  is 
time  for  me  to  go  to  the  Council.  I  will  write  again  to-mor- 
row. May  our  Heavenly  Father  bless  you  and  spare  us  to 
meet  again.  Fondest  love  to  our  dear  circle.  Kiss  my  two 
little  pets." 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  4/7 


"Chicago,  May  i6,  1875. 

"  I  expect  this  is  a  balmy,  beautiful  day  at  Lutherville, 
with  a  warm  sun,  and  the  trees  robed  in  the  first  fresh  foliage. 
Here  it  is  bright,  but  a  cold  north  wind  is  coming  over  the 
lake,  and  the  trees  are  almost  entirely  bare.  I  wrote  you  a 
short  letter  yesterday.     We  had  quite  an  interesting  day.     In 

the  morning  Rev.    Mr.  G 's  motion  came  up,    to  elect  a 

missionary  bishop  for  the  Pacific  coast.      Mr.  M offered 

an  amendment,  and  a  long  debate  followed.  About  three 
o'clock  I  took  the  floor  and  advocated  an  energetic  prosecu- 
tion of  our  work  by  more  agencies,  either  bishops  or  evan- 
gelists, and  asked  for  a^committee  to  meet  me  at  Mr.  A 's. 

It  was  unanimously  carried,  and  Bishop  C and  myself. 

Dr.  N ,  Rev.  H.  S ,  A.  G.  T ,  Governor  W , 

and  Mr.  M were  appointed  the  committee.     Mr.  M , 

of  Brooklyn,  and  Colonel  A came  as  advisers.     It  was 

decided  that  Dean  Cridge  be  elected  missionary  bishop  of  the 

Pacific   coast.   Rev.  Mr. ,     missionary    bishop    of    the 

South,  and  Rev.    Mr.  J be  appointed  evangelist  in  the 

South.  We  do  not  know  that  the  Council  will  adopt  the 
whole  of  the  report,  but  it  is  believed  that  such  action  will 
arouse  a  very  deep  feeling  of  interest  among  our  people. 

"This  morning  I  preached  in  St.  Paul's — the  church 
formerly  occupied  by  Dr.  Bishop.  It  was  very  full.  I  or- 
dained Mr.  J ,  assisted  by  Rev.   Mr.  Gallagher  and  Rev. 

Mr.  Feltwell.  The  congregation  has  called  Rev.  Dr.  Fallows 
to  be  their  pastor  ;  he  is  a  very  eloquent  preacher,  and  is 
now  president  of  a  college  at  Bloomington.  He  will  enter 
on  his  duties  in  June.  We  have  only  passed  twelve  of  the 
Articles,  but  I  hope  we  will  be  able  to  finish  by  Tuesday 
night.  I  have  seen  but  little  of  Chicago  since  I  arrived,  I 
have  been  so  constantly  occupied.  To-day  I  was  able  to  get 
a  glimpse  of  it  as  I  rode  over  to  the  west  side.  There  are 
many  noble  buildings  lately  put  up,  but  you  can  still  see  the 
traces  of  the  great  fire  in  1871." 


478  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 


In  the  journal  of  Bishop  Cummins  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing entries  : 

''May  23-30. — Preached  morning  and  evening  in  the 
Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Baltimore. 

'^  Jmie  6  a7id  13. — Preached  in  the  same  church  morning 
and  evening. 

''June  20. — Preached  in  Lincoln  Hall,  Washington,  for 
the  congregation  under  th€  care  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  McGuire. 

"June  27. — At  home  resting. 

"July  4. — Visited  Binghamton,  New  York.  Preached 
in  St.  Stephen's  Chapel,  baptized  three  adults  and  one  infant, 
and  confirmed  three  persons.  Preached  at  the  Congrega- 
tional church  in  the  evening. 

"July  6. — Preached  in  the  Congregational  church  in 
Gloversville,  and  July  7th  confirmed  twelve  persons  in  the 
same  town. 

"July  8. — Spoke  at  Johnstown,  in  the  Presbyterian 
church." 

The  remaining  portion  of  the  month  of  July  and  the 
first  week  in  August  were  passed  at  Lutherville.  While 
there  Bishop  Cummins  filled  the  pulpitof  the  Church  of 
the  Redeemer,  Reformed  Episcopal,  Baltimore,  until 
the  Rev.  W.  M.  Postlethwaite,  formerly  rector  of  a 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  on  Washington  Heights, 
New  York,  took  charge,  having  accepted  a  call  from 
the  vestry  to  become  their  pastor.  4 

After  the  first  Sunday  in  August,  1875,  Bishop 
Cummins  went  to  Newburg-on-the-Hudson,  at  the 
invitation  of  several  gentlemen  of  that  city,  to  organ- 
ize a  Reformed  Episcopal  Church.  Here  he  re- 
mained several  days,  and  we  find  the  following  record 
of  his  work  in  his  journal  : 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  479 

''August  8.— Preached  in  Newburg  twice  in  the  Reformed 

church. 

''August  9.— Addressed  a  meeting  called   to    organize  a 

church." 

The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  was  established 
in  Newburg,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leacock  was  elected 
pastor.  This  congregation  is  chiefly  composed  of 
some  of  the  most  influential  and  cultured  families  in 
that  beautiful  little  city.  They  have  worshipped  for 
three  years  in  their  own  tasteful  "Church  of  the 
Corner-stone." 

After  his  visit  to  Newburg  Bishop  Cummms 
went  to  New  Brunswick  to  visit  the  churches  in  that 
province.     We  quote  again  from  his  journal  : 

''August  15.— Preached  in  the  morning  in  St.  John,  New 
Brunswick.  In  the  evening  addressed  a  vast  congregation  in 
Mechanics'  Hall,  on  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church. 

"August  17.— In  Chatham,  N.  B.  Spoke  in  behalf  of 
our  work  in  the  Methodist  Church. 

"August  19.— Preached  in  Sussex,  N.  B.,  in  their  taste- 
ful new  church. 

"August  22.— Preached  in  Moncton,  N.  B.,  twice,  and 
confirmed  eighteen  persons.  This  parish  is  in  a  most  pros- 
perous state." 

Bishop  Cummins  returned  to  Newburg  after  this 
visit  to  Canada,  and  formally  organized  a  church 
there.  He  preached  again  twice  for  the  congrega- 
tion. 

Early  in  September  he  went  to  Ottawa,  Canada, 
'  v.here  he  passed  several   most  pleasant  days.      He 
L'l  IS  records  his  work  in  that  city: 


480  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  Septeinber  5. — Preached  in  Emmanuel  Church  twice,  the 
Rev.  H.  M.  Collison,  pastor. 

"  September  6. — Preached  in  the  same  church,  and  or- 
dained. Mr.  William  Hartley,  of. Muskoka,  Algoma,  deacon. 

"  September  7. — Reception  in  the  Knox  Church,  Ottawa 
Addresses,  etc.;  very  pleasant  evening. 

"  September  8. — Addressed  a  meeting  in  Emmanuel 
Church." 

From  Ottawa  Bishop  Cummins  visited  Toronto. 
Here  he  was  greatly  cheered  by  the  state  of  the 
church  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ussher.  He 
thus  writes  : 

"  September  \2. — In  Toronto.  In  the  morning  preached  at 
Emmanuel  Church,  in  the  evening  at  Christ  Church,  and  con- 
firmed  7iine  persons.     Two  were  from  Emmanuel  Church. 

"  September  19. — Preached  in  the  First  Reformed  Epis- 
copal Church,  New  York,  Rev.  W.  T.  Sabine,  rector,  once, 
and  in  the'  Mission  Church,  Twenty-sixth  Street,  in  the 
evening. 

''  September  26. — In  the  morning  at  the  First  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church,  and  in  the  evening  at  Twenty-sixth  Street, 
Rev.  George  Howell,  pastor." 

Bishop  Cummins  held  services  in  the  Rev.  W.  T. 
Sabine's  church  for  three  weeks,  delivering  a  course 
of  lectures. 

In  this  year  Bishop  Cummins's  sermon,  entitled 
"The  Lord's  Table,  and  not  the  Altar,"  was  issued 
by  the  committee  of  "Reformed  Episcopal  Publica- 
tions." This  sermon  gives  fully  his  views  upon  this 
all-important  subject,  and  has  been  widely  read. 

In  October  he  visited  Brooklyn,  and  preached  in 


IVORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  48 1 


tlie  Church  of  the  Incarnation,  and  at  Williamsburg, 
or  East  Brooklyn,  where  a  new  parish  was  being 
formed.     We  further  quote  from  his  journal : 

"  October  10. — Preached  in  Emmanuel  Church,  Newark, 
morning  aad  evening. 

"  October  17. — Preached  twice  in  the  Second  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church,  Philadelphia  Rev.  Dr.  W.  R.  Nicholson, 
rector. 

"  October  18. — Laid  corner-stone  of  Third  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church,  Germantown  (Philadelphia),  Rev.  G.  A. 
Redles,  pastor. 

"  October  21. — Laid  corner-stone  of  Church  of  the  Re- 
deemer, Baltimore,  Rev.  W.  M.  Postlethwaite,  pastor. 

''October  2^. — Preached  twice  in  the  Church  of  the  Re- 
demption, Pittsburg,  and  confirmed  three  persons. 

"  October  2,1- — Emmanuel  Church,  Louisville.  Preached 
twice,  and  confirmed  fiine  persons.  Rev.  John  K.  Dunn, 
pastor." 

While  in  Louisville  he  wrote  as  follows  : 

"  Louisville,  October  30,  1875. 

"  I  am  here  once  more  in  the  midst  of  the  scenes  of  my 
memorable  Kentucky  life,  grateful  to  God  for  my  work  and 
position,  and  all  that  he  has  done  for  me,  and  for  the  way 
that  he  has  led  me.  I  would  not  exchange  my  present  for 
my  former  position  for  any  earthly  gain. 

"  I  left  Baltimore  at  4.10  p.m,  in  a  Pullman  car,  and  had 
a  quiet  ride  to  Martinsburg.  We  reached  Parkersburg  in  the 
morning  :  the  temperature  was  very  cold  and  it  was  raining. 
We  arrived  at  Cincinnati  at  2.30,  in  time  to  take  the  three 

o'clock  train  for  Louisville.     Mr.  Dunn  and  Mr.  L met 

me  at  the  station,   and  we  drove  to   Mr.    L 's  home  on 

Broadway.     I  will  go  up  to  Indianapolis  on  Tuesday  after- 


482  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

noon,  and  remain  until  Thursday.     I  send  you  dear  G 's 

letter,  asking  me  to  make  them  a  visit.  I  found  a  telegram 
here  from  Mr.  Tyng.  I  shall  go  to  Peoria  before  returning 
home  and  preach  for  them.     ...     I  preached  to  a  large 

congregation,  and  spoke   to  many  old  friends.     The  D s 

were  there,  except  Miss  L ,  who  is  not  in  Louisville,  Mr. 

and  Mrs.  John  T.  M ,  Mrs.   J ,  and  a  number  of  St. 

Paul's  people.  I  take  tea  at  Mr.  D 's  to-morrow  even- 
ing. I  hope  to  go  out  to  Pewee  Valley  to-morrow,  if  possible. 
I  confirmed  nine  persons  for  Mr,  Dunn.  He  is  doing  well 
here  :  his  spirit  is  very  sweet. 

"  I  can  write  no  more  to-day.  The  Lord  bless  and  keep 
you.  Fondest  love  to  my  dear  children,  and  many  kisses  for 
my  t\fO  peaches,  so  lovely  and  sweet  !" 

November  3d,  1875,  Bishop  Cummins  passed  in 
Indianapolis,  and  preached  once  ;  the  4th  he  visited 
Peoria,  III.,  and  held  services  ;  the  5th  in  Chillicothe, 
111.,  preaching  once  ;  and  the  7th  in  Chicago,  where 
he  preached  twice  in  Christ  Church,  Right  Rev. 
Charles  E.  Cheney,  rector. 

November  14th,  he  preached  in  the  Church  of  the 
Redeemer,  Baltimore,  and  ordained  Mr.  W.  L.  Jett, 
of  Washington,  Virginia,  deacon. 

November  i8th,  Bishop  Cummins  left  his  home 
in  Lutherville  for  an  extended  visit  to  Charleston, 
S.  C.  The  year  previous  a  number  of  congregations, 
formed  of  colored  people  who  had  been  mem- 
bers of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  had  been 
received  into  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  and 
the  General  Council  had  appointed  the  Rev.  P.  F. 
vStevens  pastor  over  them  all,  aided  by  the  colored 
j^rcachers  who  had  been  ministering  to  them.  "A 
iiishop  Cummins's  Training  School  "  had  been  estab- 


IVOJ^K  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  483 

lished  by  Mr.  Stevens,  for  the  purpose  of  educating 
the  colored  preachers  more  thoroughly,  and  to  prepare 
them  for  Holy  Orders  in  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church.  Bishop  Cummins  had  ahva3's  felt  a  deep 
interest  in  this  neglected  race,  and  it  was  with  great 
pleasure  he  undertook  this  journey,  that  he  might  be 
with  them  for  several  weeks.  He  took  lodgings  in 
Charleston,  and  accompanied  by  Rev.  Benjamin 
Johnson  and  Rev.  Mr.  Stevens,  visited  in  all  about 
twelve  congregations,  besides  preaching  several 
times  in  Charleston, 

We  have  before  us  full  newspaper  accounts  of  his 
visit  and  services  while  in  that  old  city  by  the  sea,  as 
also  some  interesting  letters  written  by  himself  for  the 
Episcopal  Recorder,  giving  graphic  and  full  details  of 
this  visitation. 

We  quote  first  from  one  of  Bishop  Cummins's  let- 
ters : 

"  I  saw  Charleston  in  the  light  of  early  morning,  and  the 
first  drive  from  the  railway  station  to  our  lodgings  revealed 
a  most  quaint  and  singular  town,  utterly  unlike  most  Ameri- 
can towns,  with  the  marks  of  age  upon  all  things,  and  a  style 
of  architecture  more  like  continental  Europe  than  that  of  the 
New  World.  .  .  .  The  day  of  our  arrival  the  thermom- 
eter marked  80°  Fahrenheit,  and  we  sat  with  open  windows 
as  in  June.  Orange  and  lemon  trees  are  growing  before  the 
houses,  laden  with  golden  fruit.  Large  and  noble  trees  of 
the  magnolia  grandiflora  rise  much  higher  than  the  dwellings. 
Japonicas  are  in  full  bloom  and  grow  to  an  immense  size. 
But  the  roses — what  can  I  write  to  give  you  an  idea  of  them  ! 
Great  vines  of  the  superb  cloth  of  gold  run  on  frames  twenty 
feet  high,  and  the  buds  and  full-blown  flowers  are  wondrous 
to  behold.     We  measured  one  of  these  buds,  half  blown,  and 


484  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

found  it  to  be  six  inches  in  circumference  !  Next  to  this, 
and  scarcely  inferior,  come  the  La  Marc,  the  Malmaison,  and 
the  Luxembourg. 

"  My  first  stroll  was  to  the  Battery,  overlooking  the  beauti- 
ful harbor  and  bay.  I  was  unprepared  for  the  view  that  pre- 
sented itself.  Two  rivers — the  Ashley  and  Cooper — meet  to 
form  the  harbor,  which  only  needs  a  mountain  to  make  it  as 
beautiful  as  the  Bay  of  Naples.  Looking  seaward,  on  the  ex- 
treme left,  could  be  seen  Fort  Moultrie  and  Sullivan's  Island  ; 
while  in  the  centre,  three  miles  away,  the  walls  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter rise  above  the  water,  a  memorable  name  in  the  annals  of 
our  country. 

"  As  the  representative  of  our  dear  Church  I  have  received 
in  this  city  the  most  cordial  and  hearty  welcome.  Clergymen 
of  all  Evangelical  churches  have  come  forward  to  greet  me 
and  bid  me  God-speed.  Many  churches  have  been  opened  to 
me,  and  I  have  been  urged  to  preach  in  their  pulpits.  On 
the  morning  of  Sunday,  November  21st,  I  preached  in  the 
Central  Methodist  church,  and  at  night  to  our  own  colored 
congregation  at  Trinity  Church.  The  congregation  numbered 
over  a  thousand  colored  people,  and  I  never  spoke  to  a  more 
attentive  audience. 

The  leading  daily  paper  of  Charleston  says  : 

"  The  Right  Rev.  George  David  Cummins,  D.D.,  the  Pre- 
siding Bishop  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  preached 
yesterday  morning  at  Trinity  Church,  Halsey  Street.  The 
edifice  was  densely  crowded,  the  congregation  including  large 
numbers  from  various  denominations  who  had  been  attracted 
by  the  celebrity  of  the  preacher.  The  text  was  St.  John  10  : 
16." 

Then  follows  a  full  and  very  correct  report  of  the 
sermon. 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  485 

On  the  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church,  Bishop  Cummins  put  forth 
a  letter  to  the  members  from  which  we  quote  : 

"  The  2d  day  of  December,  1875,  completes  the  two 
years  of  the  existence  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  as 
a  branch  of  Christ's  visible  Church. 

"  I  response  to  the  call  of  the  last  General  Council,  our 
congregations  everywhere  will  celebrate  the  day  as  a  day  of 
special  thanksgiving  to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  for  his 
goodness  in  restoring  to  us  the  '  old  paths'  and  simple  faith 
and  practice  of  our  fathers.  The  following  facts  may  serve 
as  food  for  reflection,  and  also  to  heighten  our  gratitude. 

"  First.  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  is  the  gracious 
answer  of  God  to  the  prayers  of  many  faithful  souls  who 
have  felt  the  heavy  burden  of  a  Prayer  Book  which,  while 
possessing  so  much  that  is  precious  and  excellent,  is  sadly 
marred  by  the  retention  of  unscriptural  teachings. 

"  Second.  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  is  not  only 
God's  gracious  answer  to  prayer  ;  it  was  begun  in  prayer, 
baptized  in  prayer,  and  has  been  upheld  by  unceasing,  im- 
portunate supplication. 

"  Third.  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  originated  in 
no  schemes  or  plans  of  man's  devising  ;  it  was  preceded  by 
no  secret  societies,  no  hidden  conspiracy,  no  private  consul- 
tations. No  correspondence  ever  passed  between  individuals 
concerning  its  inception.  It  grew  silently,  like  God's  great  un- 
seen working  in  nature,  below  the  surface,  in  human  hearts, 
known  only  to  him. 

"  Fourth.  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  began  by  the 
work  of  God's  Spirit  upon  individual  souls,  separated  far 
apart  from  each  other,  each  of  whom  was  ignorant  of  the 
workings  within  the  breast  of  the  other. 

''Fifth.  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  has  received 
marked  tokens  of  the  guiding  hand  of  God  shaping  and  di- 


486  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

reeling  its  work  by  a  Wisdom  evidently  coming  from  Above. 
What  but  this  could  have  enabled  a  handful  of  men  within 
eighteen  short  months  to  perfect  the  revision  of  the  Prayer 
Book,  which,  though  it  is  not  claimed  to  be  faultless,  is  the 
admiration  of  every  unbiased,  unprejudiced  reader  ;  and  to 
set  forth  Articles  of  Faith  embodying  the  very  marrow  of  the 
Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ?  '  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord, 
but  unto  thy  name  be  all  the  glory,  for  thou  hast  wrought 
all  our  works  in  us  !' 

"  Sixth.  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  was  organized 
on  the  2d  day  of  December,  1873,  with  eight  clergymen 
and  a  score  of  laymen,  without  a  single  congregation  adhering 
to  it.  On  the  2d  day  of  December,  1875,  it  numbers  fifty- 
two  clergymen,  and  fifty  congregations  throughout  the  United 
States  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 

"  Thus  has  God  caused  this  vine  of  his  own  planting  to 
take  root  and  to  put  forth  the  first-fruits  of  a  rich  return — 
precious  souls  redeemed  and  sanctified  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb. 

"  George  D.  Cummins." 

While  Bishop  Cummins  was  in  Charleston  he  held 
two  ordinations.     He  writes  thus  about  the  first : 

"Charleston,  December  7,  1875. 

"  Sunday  last  I  ordained  the  first  clergyman  of  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church  from  among  the  ranks  of  the  f reed- 
men  of  the  South. 

"  On  Saturday,  December  4th,  Mr.  Johnson  and  Mr. 
Stevens  accompanied  me  to  Pineville,  about  fifty  miles  north 
of  Charleston.  Four  churches  were  represented  in  the  con- 
gregation assembled  in  the  new  church,  built  by  their  own 
hands.  We  held  the  first  service  Saturday  evening  ;  Mr. 
Johnson  preached.  Sunday  morning  dawned  with  cloudy, 
threatening  weather,  but  the  church  was  filled  by  our  colored 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  487, 

friends.  Mr.  Stevens  read  the  service,  and  I  preached.  The 
candidate  for  deacon's  orders  was  presented  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Johnson.  The  newly  ordained  deacon,  Mr.  Frank  C.  Fur- 
guson,  was  an  earnest  and  faithful  worker  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  among  his  race,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by 
both  the  white  and  colored  people  among  whom  he  resides. 
He  has  been  preparing  himself  by  study  for  the  ministry, 
while  teaching  a  large  school  for  colored  children.  After  the 
ordmation  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  to  a  very  large 
number  of  communicants,  Rev.  Mr.  Furguson  assisting. 

"  It  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  me  to  see  these  people  wor- 
shipping in  their  new  church,  built  by  themselves  after  they 
had  been  driven  from  their  former  place  of  worship  for  uniting 
with  us.  I  consecrated  it,  as  it  is  entirely  out  of  debt.  The 
'  Church  of  the  Redeemer  '  stands  in  a  beautiful  grove  of 
live-oak  trees.  I  hope  all  our  churches  will  follow  this  pre- 
cedent of  the  freedmen,  and  beware  of  debt. 

"  After  the  consecration  I  preached  again,  and  confirmed 
a  class  of  thirty-six  persons.  These  people  have  been  faith- 
fully prepared  by  their  pastor,  whose  standard  of  Christian 
profession  is  a  high  one.  They  manifested  deep  feeling  and 
seemed  fully  to  appreciate  the  solemnity  of  the  service. 

"  A  training  school  is  about  to  be  established  by  Mr.  Ste- 
vens for  the  education  of  colored  candidates  for  the  ministry. 
The  colored  congregations  will  aid  in  its  support.  This  train- 
ing school,  if  it  can  be  maintained  by  a  generous  charity,  may 
be  the  beginning  of  a  blessed  work  among  the  freedmen, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  this  dear  church  of  ours.  Let 
us  help  this  brother  by  aiding  in  the  support  of  the  students 
by  donations  of  books,  and,  above  all,  by  fervent,  unceasing 
prayer. ' ' 

We  quote  again  from  the  journal  of  Bishop  Cum- 
mins : 

^'November  21. — Preached  in  Charleston,   S.   C,  in  the 


488  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

morning  ;  in  Trinity  M.  E.  Church  in  the  evening,  to  the  col- 
ored congregation  of  Trinity  (Reformed  Episcopal  Church). 

"  November  25. — Thanksgiving  Day.  Preached  in  the 
Citadel  Square  Church. 

"  November  26. — In  evening  at  Trinity  Church  (colored). 

"  November  28. — Preached  in  the  morning  in  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  the  evening  in  Citadel  Square 
Church. 

"  December  3. — Preached  to  colored  congregation. 

"  December  5. — Preached  at  Pineville  twice,  ordained  Mr. 
Furguson,  and  confirmed  thirty-six  persons. 

"  December  9. — Preached  to  colored  congregation,  Trinity 
Church. 

''December  12. — Preached  at  French  Protestant  church 
in  the  morning.  At  night  at  Hibernian  Hall  spoke  on  the 
claims  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church. 

"  December  17. — Preached  in  Trinity  Church  and  ordained 
Edward  A.  Forrest  (colored)  deacon. 

"  December  19. — At  Pineopolis.  Preached  twice,  and  or- 
dained Lawrence  Dawson  (colored)  deacon,  and  confirmed 
forty-two  persons." 

The  sermon  preached  by  Bishop  Cummins  in  Hi- 
bernian Hall  on  the  claims  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church,  the  need  for  such  a  Church,  and  wherein  it 
differs  from  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  was 
fully  reported  in  the  leading  daily  papers  of  Charles- 
ton. These'  reports  are  far  too  lengthy  for  these 
pages.  He  writes  of  the  service  held  in  the  Huguenot 
church.     We  quote  his  own  words  : 

"  On  Sunday,  December  nth,  I  enjoyed  the  privilege  of 
worshipping  in  the  French  Protestant  or  Huguenot  church  in 
this  city,  the  only  church  of  the  Huguenots  remaining  in 
England  or  America,  except  a  little  handful  of  the  descend- 


WORX:  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  489 

ants  of  that  people  wliich  still  holds  a  service  in  the  crypt  of 
Canterbury  Cathedral.  The  first  church — erected  on  the  site 
of  the  one  in  which  I  preached  last  Sunday  morning — was 
built  in  1693,  only  eight  years  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes,  and  the  people  who  sat  before  me  are  the  descend- 
ants of  those  who  were  driven  from  their  native  land  by  the 
terrible  storm  of  fire  and  blood  which  followed  that  dark  day 
of  1685. 

"  South  Carolina  was  called  '  the  home  of  the  Huguenots,' 
and  became  their  principal  retreat  in  the  New  World.  A 
thousand  embarked  from  the  ports  of  Holland  alone.  These 
are  the  Huguenots  who  settled  in  Charleston.  I  have  been 
deeply  interested  in  the  Service  book  of  this  church.  It  is  a 
translation  of  the  old  liturgy  of  Neufchatel  of  1732.  As  might 
be  expected  from  a  people  who  have  suffered  so  much  for 
their  fidelity  to  the  Gospel,  it  contains  no  trace  of  sacerdotal- 
ism. The  order  for  morning  prayer  is  not  unlike  our  own. 
Thus  does  this  venerable  church  stand  in  our  midst,  the  only 
memorial  left  to  us  of  the  mighty  struggle  of  a  noble  race  to 
maintain  the  pure  faith  of  the  Gospel  undefiled. 

"  As  a  Reformed  Episcopalian  contending  for  the  same 
precious  faith,  I  have  been  most  happy  to  find  here  a  litur- 
gical Evangelical  church,  and  to  unite  in  the  use  of  a  Prayer 
Book  hallowed  by  the  memories  of  those  '  who  resisted  unto 
blood  '  the  corruption  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  who 
'  counted  not  their  lives  dear  unto  them,  so  that  they  might 
testify  to  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.'  " 

On  Friday,  December  i8th,  Bishop  Cummins,  in 
company  with  the  Rev.  P.  F.  Stevens,  visited  Naz- 
areth Church,  Pineopolis,  where  three  congregations 
assembled  on  Sunday,  19th,  to  meet  him.  The  weather 
was  unusually  cold  for  that  latitude,  ice  could  be  seen 
everywhere.     A  vast  congregation  had  gathered  de- 


490  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

spite  the  cold,  some  coming  fifteen  miles  to  attend  the 
services.     We  quote  from  one  of  the  bishop's  letters  : 

"  I  wished  most  heartily,  after  arriving  at  the  church,  that 
many  who  shrink  from  attending  the  services  of  God's  house  if 
they  should  be  subjected  to  the  smallest  inconvenience,  could 
have  looked  in  upon  the  scene  that  presented  itself  to  my  eyes. 
The  building  still  used  for  services  is  the  old  church,  which 
they  occupy  until  they  can  finish  their  own  church.  Five 
windows  on  each  side  were  entirely  without  glass  or  sash, 
with  the  thermometer  at  27°.  Seats  without  backs  were 
filled  by  a  great  company.  I  wore  my  overcoat  and  the  gown 
over  it  and  was  only  comfortable  ;  but  I  could  have  borne  a 
greater  degree  of  cold,  for  my  heart  was  warmed  to  see  the 
intense  interest  manifested  in  the  services.  After  the  service 
and  sermon  I  ordained  Mr.  Lawrence  A.  Dawson  a  deacon, 
presented  by  his  pastor,  Rev.  P.  F.  Stevens,  who  has  long 
known  and  esteemed  him.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  then  ad- 
ministered. In  the  afternoon  I  preached  again,  and  con- 
firmed a  large  class.  Mr.  Stevens  then  addressed  the  people. 
He  said  he  felt  unspeakably  thankful  that  after  years  of  labor 
among  them  he  had  lived  to  see  three  set  apart  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  Thus  closes  my  month's  sojourn  in  Charles- 
ton. It  has  been  a  time  of  much  labor  and  of  great  joy  in 
witnessing  the  progress  of  our  cause  among  the  freedmen.  It 
has  been  a  time  of  spiritual  refreshment,  moreover,  in  the 
intercourse  I  have  enjoyed  among  the  ministers  and  members 
of  the  evangelical  churches.  Right  heartily  and  cordially 
have  they  received  us  as  '  fellow-helpers  to  the  truth,'  recog- 
nizing our  mission  as  one  eminently  fitted  to  bring  into  closer 
fellowship  all  the  branches  of  Christ's  visible  Church  who 
hold  the  like  precious  faith.  How  highly  has  God  honored  us 
in  giving  to  us  such  a  mission  !" 

From  December  19th,  1875,  to  January  i6th,  1876, 


IVORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  49 ^ 


Bishop  Cummins  spent  at  Aiken,  S.  C,  where  he 
had  taken  his  wife  for  the  benefit  of  her  health. 
While  at  Aiken  he  preached  in  the  Methodist  and 
Presbyterian  churches,  and  made  an  address  at  a 
Christmas  gathering  of  the  Sunday-schools  of  the  last- 
named  church. 

On  the  23d  January  he  preached  twice  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Wilmington,  N.  C,  where  he 
was  visiting  some  dear  friends  on  his  way  home. 

Immediately  on  his  arrival  home  Bishop  Cummins 
took  temporary  charge  of  the  Church  of  the  Incarna- 
tion, Brooklyn,  where  he  officiated  for  some  time. 
We  give  here  the  entries  in  his  journal  : 

''January  30,  1876.— Preached  twice  in  the  Church  of 
the  Incarnation,  Brooklyn. 

"February^. — Lectured. 

"  February  6.— Preached  twice  in  the  same  church. 

"February  9.— In  Baltimore.  Ordained  Rev.  H.  H. 
Washburn,  presbyter,  and  Mr.  F.  H.  Reynolds,  deacon. 

"  February  11.— Lectured  in  Church  of  the  Incarnation. 

"  February  13.— Preached  twice *in  the  same  church. 

''February  20.— Opening  of  Emmanuel  Church,  Phila- 
delphia ;  preached  and  confirmed  twenty  persons.  Same 
evening  preached  in  Second  Reformed  Episcopal  Church, 
Philadelphia. 

"February  24.— Consecrated  Rev.  W.  R.  Nicholson, 
D.D.,  a  bishop  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  assisted 
by  Bishop  Cheney ;  Bishop  Simpson  and  Rev.  Dr.  R.  M. 
Hatfield,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ;  Rev.  Drs.  Bea- 
dle and  Blackwood,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  ;  Rev.  Drs. 
Leacock  and  J.  Howard  Smith,  Revs.  J.  H.  Latane,  M.  Gal- 
lagher, W.  T.  Sabine,  and  H.  M.  Collison. 


492  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"  February  27. — Preached  and  confirmed  at  the  Church 
of  the  Rock  of  Ages,  Baltimore. 

"  March  3. — Lectured  in  Church  of  the  Incarnation, 
Brooklyn. 

"  March  5. — Preached  twice  in  same  church,  and  admin- 
istered the  Lord's  Supper. 

"  March  12. — Opening  of  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Balti- 
more ;  preached  once. " 

We  give  extracts  from  letters  written  by  Bishop 
Cummins  while  in  Brooklyn. 

"  Brooklyn,  February  i,  1876. 
"  I  looked  earnestly  this  morning  for  a  letter  from  you, 
but  none  has  come.  I  wrote  you  yesterday,  giving  you  an 
account  of  the  services  on  Sunday  and  of  my  health.  The 
weather  was  very  unpleasant,  cold,  and  raw.  About  three 
o'clock  I  went  out  for  a  walk,  and  made  my  first  acquaintance 

with  Brooklyn.     After  breakfast  Mr.  M asked  me  to  go 

with  him  in  his  carriage,  that  he  might  show  me  that  part  of 

the  city  near  our  chapel.      Mr.  M thinks  that  part  of  the 

city  very  desirable  for  our  work.  This  evening  the  social 
gathering  of  the  congregation  takes  place.  I  do  not  expect 
to  be  much  in  New  York  ;  but  to-morrow  a  special  meeting 
of  our  Standing  Committee  is  called  at  three  and  a  half  o'clock 
to  make  arrangements  for  Dr.  Nicholson's  consecration,  and  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  attend.  I  had  the  meeting  called  because 
the  regular  meeting  is  on  the  9th,  and  I  must  be  in  Baltimore 
then  to  hold  the  ordination.  I  long  intensely  to  be  with  all 
my  precious  home  circle,  and  should  enjoy  a  play  with  our 
two  little  darlings.  Ask  '  Mo  Peachy  '  if  I  shall  send  her  a 
black  '  Kitty  '  in  a  letter  ?  Fondest  love  to  all.  God  bless 
you " 

"  Brooklyn,  February  12,  1876. 
"  How  ceaselessly  my  thoughts  have  been  about  you  to- 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  493 

day  !  I  have  thought  of  you  as  lying  on  your  bed  of  suffer- 
ing during  this  bright  lovely  day,  and  I  have  longed  to  be 
near  you  to  minister  to  you.  How  gladly  would  I  exchange 
all  the  elegance  and  grandeur  of  the  city  for  the  simple  home 
at  Lutherville  !  May  our  merciful  Heavenly  Father  be  very 
near  to  you  in  this  your  hour  of  need. 

"  I  went  over  to  the  15ible  House  this  morning  to  meet 
some  of  the  clergy,  and  remained  there  several  hours.      Rev. 

Mr.  H has  arrived,  so  that  I  can  only  write  a  brief  letter 

to-day,  and  it  will  be  my  last  before  seeing  you,  as  I  go  to- 
morrow to  Philadelphia." 

"  Brooklyn,  March  4,  1876. 

"  I  had  a  very  quiet  ride  to  New  York,  and  on  my  arrival 

found  Mr.  M waiting  for  me  at  the  ferry  in  his  carriage. 

At  seven  o'clock  Mr.  M went  with  me   to  the  chapel, 

where  I  found  a  good  congregation.  I  lectured  in  the  course 
on  our  Saviour's  farewell  discourses.     To-day  visited   Mr. 

S ,  who  was  very  glad  to  see  me,  and  seemed  comforted 

by  my  visit.  He  is  a  great  sufferer,  but  cheerful  and  sub- 
missive. The  regular  meeting  of  our  Standing  Committee  is 
called  for  next  Wednesday.  Important  business  will  be 
brought  before  it.  My  presence  is  not  essential,  as  I  only  sit 
as  an  adviser.  I  will  not  leave,  however,  until  after  the  meet- 
ing, and  therefore  cannot  be  at  home  until  Thursday.  Much 
love  to  our  children." 

"  Brooklyn,  March  5,  1876. 

"  I  am  to  administer  the  Lord's  Supper  to-morrow  to  Mr. 

S .     I  held  service  Sunday,   preached  and  administered 

the  communion.  There  was  a  good  congregation.  After  the 
service  I  met  four  of  the  vestry,  and  talked  with  them  about 

calling  Rev.  Mr.  W .     If  he  can  come  it  will  be  a  great 

blessing." 

"  March  6. — I  wrote  to  you  yesterday  telling  you  of  my 
reasons  for  remaining  over  Wednesday,  and  after  closing  my 


494  GEORGE  DA  VID  CUMMINS. 

letter  went  out  to  Mr.  S 's.  I  had  not  intended  to  ad- 
minister the  Lord's  Supper  to  him  until  to-day  or  to-morrow, 
but  he  is  failing  so  rapidly  that  I  determined  not  to  delay  it. 

"  Last  night  I  held  service  and  preached  again  in  the 
chapel.  The  position  of  this  chapel  is  unfavorable  to  our 
work,  and  the  vestry  are  looking  now  for  a  suita.ble  building.  A 
church  has  been  offered  us,  very  pleasantly  located  about  half 
a  mile  from  this  portion  of  the  city.  I  think  the  vestry  will 
decide  to  take  it. 

"  This  morning  I  went  over  to  the  Bible  House  and  met 

Rev.  Mr.   S ,    Rev.    Mr.    H ,   Rev.    Mr.   B ,   and 

Rev.  Mr.  R .     Rev.  Mr.  S 's  vestry  have  determined 

to  buy  the  church  they  are  now  worshipping  in  ;  but  some  of 
the  most  influential  members  of  his  congregation  and  the 
largest  subscribers  prefer  that  a  new  church  should  be  built 
in  a  more  desirable  location,  so  that  they  will  probably  rent 
the  church  by  the  year  until  their  own  is  erected.  I  trust  the 
Lord  will  guide  them.     I  came  back  from  the  Bible  House 

and  rested.     Mr.  T invited  me  to  take  tea  at  his  house 

this  evening,  so  I  am  to  go  there  at  6.30  o'clock.  Rev.  Mr. 
H takes  the  services  here  next  Sunday. ' ' 

We  find  from  the  journal  of  Bishop  Cummins  that 
he  preached  in  the  Church  of  the  Rock  of  Ages — 
now  the  Bishop  Cummins  Memorial  Church — March 
19th,  1876,  and  on  the  26th  March  in  the  Church  of  the 
Redeemer,  Baltimore. 

"  April  2,  1876. — Preached  twice  at  the  Church  of  the 
Incarnation,  Brooklyn. 

"  April  9. — Preached  twice  in  the  same  church. 

"  April  16. — At  home — no  work. 

"  April  23. — Morning  at  Emmanuel  Church  (Reformed 
Episcopal),  evening  at  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  and  con- 
firmed sixteen  persons. 


IVORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  495 

"  April  T^o. — In  the  morning,  at  First  Reformed  Episcopal 
church,  New  York,  preached  and  confirmed  twenty-nine  per- 
sons. In  the  evening,  at  Second  Reformed  Episcopal  Church, 
New  York,  preached  and  confirmed  twelve  persons. 

''May"]. — In  the  morning  preached  at  Church  of  the 
Rock  of  Ages,  Baltimore.  Evening,  in  I^utheran  church, 
Lutherville. 

"  May  14. — Inaugurated  services  of  our  Church  in  Cum- 
berland, Md.,  Rev.  John  K.  Dunn,  pastor.  Preached  morn- 
ing and  evening." 

Bishop  Cummins  had  been  appointed  by  the 
Fourth  General  Council  which  met  in  Chicago,  May, 
1875,  delegate  from  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church 
to  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  which  met  in  Baltimore  the  latter  part  of 
May,  1876.  On  the  19th  May  he  was  presented  to 
the  Conference  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lowery,  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Reception  of  Fraternal  Delegates,  and 
was  received  with  hearty  applause,  the  entire  body 
rising. 

The  address  delivered  by  Bishop  Cummins,  which 
was  reported  entire  at  the  time,  is  too  lengthy  to  be 
given  here  ;  but  we  make  a  few  extracts  from  it  : 

"  Fathers  and  Brethren  :  I  count  myself  very  happy 
to  appear  before  this  venerable  Council  this  morning  to  bear  to 
you  the  greetings  of  the  youngest  and  the  smallest  of  the  sister- 
hood of  Protestant  Churches.  The  youngest  and  the  small- 
est, but  the  representative  of  great  principles,  old  as  the  Word 
of  God,  precious  as  the  truth  is  in  Jesus,  and  lasting  as  eter- 
nity. I  come  to  you  as  the  representative  of  the  youngest 
and  smallest  Episcopal  family  in  this  land,  to  greet  the  largest 
Episcopal  family.     Your  youngest  sister,   small  indeed,  but 


496  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

bearing,  I  claim,  a  family  likeness  to  her  big  sister,  whom  I 
address  this  morning. 

"  Mr.  President,  shortly  after  the  close  ot  the  revolu- 
tionary war  that  great  and  saintly  man,  Bishop  Asbury,  found 
his  way  in  his  apostolic  journeyings — and  he  ivas  an  apostle 
in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  a  true  successor  to  the  apostles 
— to  the  County  of  Kent,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland, 
and  a  home  in  a  family  of  the  Church  of  England  of  the 
straightest  sort,  but  who  opened  their  parlors  for  Asbury  to 
preach  in,  and  when  these  would  not  accommodate  all  the 
people  the  spacious  barns  were,  thrown  open.  Through  his 
preaching  that  whole  family  was  converted.  There  was  one 
son,  a  boy,  who  was  away  at  school  when  these  meetings  were 
started.  He  returned  home  to  spend  his  vacation,  and  was 
converted  also,  and  became  one  of  the  earliest  travelling 
preachers  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  this  land.  That  young 
man  became  my  mother's  father,  and  to-day,  by  inheritance, 
I  have  a  part  and  a  lot  in  you  ;  and  perhaps  because  I  am 
a  grandson  of  one  of  the  first  travelling  preachers  of  the 
Methodist  Church  I  am  here  to-day,  under  God,  representing 
the  cause  of  truth. 

' '  But  that  is  not  all  ;  not  all  of  my  obligations  to  Method- 
ism. It  was  my  great  privilege  to  be  a  student  of  Dickenson  Col- 
lege in  its  palmy  days,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  noble  men 
who  formed  there  a  galaxy  of  grand  names — the  eloquent 
Durbin,  the  scholarly  and  most  gifted  McClintock,  the  saintly 
Christlike  Emory.  Under  the  preaching  of  these  men  I  was 
first  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  under  the  in- 
centive of  their  noble  ministry  first  conceived  the  idea  of 
consecrating  myself  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel.  I  thank  God 
for  my  studentship  at  Dickenson  College.  May  my  soul  be 
with  the  souls  of  these  dear  brethren  in  the  day  of  the  Lord." 

Bishop  Cummins  then  referred  at  length  to  the 
work  in  which  he  was  engaged  ;  the  need  for  such  a 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  49/ 

work  ;  the  cause  for  establishing  a  new  Church  ;  and 
gave  a  sketch  of  the  steady  growth  of  RituaHsm  in 
England  and  America  in  the  last  thirty  years,  and 
some  historical  facts  touching  the  Reformation  under 
Henry  VIII.  and  Edward  VI.,  and  also  of  that  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  led  by  Wesley,  and  of  the  great 
work  done  by  the  Methodist  Church.    He  then  says  : 

"  And  above  all,  and  this  is  my  last  thought,  the  great 
glory  of  Methodism  to-day  is  that  it  is  the  Church,  for  the  poor, 
the  Church  of  the  masses  ;  that  she  has  reached  a  lower  stra- 
tum of  society  than  has  been  reached  by  any  other  Protestant 
Church  in  Christendom  ;  that  she  has  done  a  work  for  the 
Master  in  this  land  that  no  other  Church  has  been  able  to 
do.  I  have  often  thought  what  would  become  of  the  poor  if 
those  who  claim  to  be  the  successors  of  the  apostles  had  been 
intrusted  alone  with  their  salvation.  Methodism  has  been 
the  missionary,  the  pioneer  of  the  Gospel  to  the  poor.  I  bear 
my  testimony  to-day  that  in  one  of  the  great  States  of  the 
West,  where  I  labored  for  seven  years,  I  never  could  get 
ahead  of  the  Methodist  preacher.  I  never  entered  into  the  wild 
fastnesses  of  Kentucky  but  I  found  a  Methodist  preacher  had 
gone  before  me  ;  and  I  never  found  myself  in  one  of  those 
beautiful  villages  on  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi,  but  the 
first  sight  that  greeted  my  eyes  was  the  small,  humble  Meth- 
odist church.  Methodism  has  been  an  evangel  to  the  poor, 
and  it  may  take  up  to-day  the  language  of  her  Lord  and  say 
without  irreverence,  '  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 
because  he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
poor." 

Bishop  Cummins's  address  was  received  with  un- 
wonted pleasure  by  the  Conference,  and  on  motion 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Whedon,  the  following  resolution 
was  adopted  by  a  rising  vote  : 


498  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

"  Resolved.  That  we  have  listened  with  great  pleasure  to 
the  brotherly  and  eloquent  words  of  the  Rev.  Bishop  Cum- 
ins, of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  communicating  to 
us  the  fraternal  greetings  of  the  body  he  so  worthily  repre- 
sents ;  and  we  extend  to  him  and  his  Church  the  right  hand 
of  Christian  fellowship,  and  cordially  reciprocate  his  expres- 
sions of  love  and  sympathy,  and  will,  in  due  time,  respond 
officially  by  our  representative  bearing  our  regards  to  his 
Church." 

The  entire  body  of  bishops  seated  on  the  platform 
then  rose,  and  while  the  members  of  the  Conference 
stood,  gathered  around  Bishop  Cummins,  giving  him 
the  warmest  greetings  and  wished  him  a  hearty  God- 
speed in  his  work.  When  he  returned  home  he  said, 
' '  I  am  very  thankful  to  have  been  permitted  to  be 
there  to-day.  It  may  be  my  only  opportunity  to  ex- 
press my  gratitude  for  what  I  owe  to  that  grand 
Church."  He  was  deeply  moved,,  and  said,  "  Oh  ! 
it  was  a  wonderful  scene  ;  I  wished  so  much  that  all 
my  family  could  have  been  present. 

May  2ist  Bishop  Cummins  officiated  in  the 
Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Baltimore.  On  the  24th 
he  left  Lutherville  for  Boston.  We  find  the  following 
entries  in  his  journal  : 

"  May  25. — Preached  in  Music  Hall,  Boston. 

"  May  26. — Addressed  the  students  of  the  Theological 
School  of  the  Boston  University. 

''  May  2%. — Preached  twice  at  Park  Street  Church,  Bos- 
ton, and  in  the  evening  addressed  St.  Luke's  (Reformed 
Episcopal)  congregation  in  Armory  Hall." 

Two  letters  were  received  from  Bishop  Cummins 
by  his  wife  while  he  was  in  Boston.   They  were  the  last 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  499 


ever  received  by  any  member  ot  his  family.  One  is 
dated  May  25th,  the  other  the  26th,  just  one  month  be- 
fore he  saw  Jesus  !     They  are  both  very  brief  : 

"Trf.moxt  House,  Boston,  May  25,  1876. 

"  I  am  safely  in  Boston,  and  am  truly  grateful  for  the 
protecting  care  of  God  over  m.-.      I  had  a  very  weary  ride. 

Colonel  A did  not  meet  me,  so  I  am  alone.     I  reached 

Boston  at  a  quarter  to  six,  and  came  to  the  Tremont  House. 
I  have  not  seen    any  one  yet,  but  am  expecting  Mr.  H  ; 

indeed  his  card  has  just  been  sent  in,  so  I  must  close  this 
little  note  and  try  to  get  it  in  the  mail  that  leaves  to-night. 

"  The  Lord  bless  you  and  watch  over  us  all  while  we  are 
parted  one  from  the  other.  So  let  '  Mizpah  '  be  our  word  of 
hope  until  we  meet  again.     Fondest  love  to  all. 

"  Your  loving  husband,  G.  D.  C. 

"  Tremont  House,  Boston,  Frid.w  Afternoon,  { 

May  26,  1876.      S 

"  I  can  scarcely  tell  you  how  wearily  the  time  passes  with 
me,  even  in  the  midst  of  this  busy  city  ;  and  if  it  were  possi- 
ble! would  most  gladly  turn  my  face  homeward  this  afternoon. 

"  I  wrote  you'a  hurried  note  last  evening  on  arriving.   Mr. 

H and  Mr.  C called   about   seven   o'clock,    and  at 

eight  I  preached  my  sermon.  The  service  passed  off  very 
pleasantly,  and  I  spoke  to  a  number  of  persons  who  seemed 
gratified.  I  got  to  rest  as  soon  as  possible  ;  for  after  a  night 
and  a  day's  uninterrupted  travel   and  preaching  the  sermon  I 

was  very  tired.      I    rested  well,  and  this  morning  Mr.  C 

called  and  passed  an  hour  with  me.  He  seems  to  be  in  ear- 
nest, and  will  reach  a  good  many  of  a  certain  class.     About 

eleven    o'clock  Dr.  C came  in  and  took  me  out  over  the 

'  Common  '  and  Public  Gardens,  and  to  the  beautiful  part  of 
the  city  beyond  them.  I  saw  the  (new)  Old  South  Church, 
and  the  new  Trinity  (Protestant  Episcopal)  Church  gomg  up. 


500  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


The  style  is  all  Moorish  and  Mohammedan.  At  six  o'clock 
I  am  going  to  say  a  few  words  to  the  students  of  the  Method- 
ist Theological  School,  a  part  of  the  Boston  University.  Dr. 
CuUis  also  called  to  see  me  this  morning. 

"  I  shall  return  the  very  first  moment,  certainly  by  Tues- 
day morning,  and  earlier  if  possible.  May  our  Father  pro- 
tect us  from  all  evil,  and  bring  us  to  meet  again.  God  bless 
you,  my  precious  wife.     Fondest  love  to  all  the  circle. 

"  Your  loving  husband,  G.  D.  C ." 

The  reader  must  not  conclude  from  any  expres- 
sion in  his  later  letters  that  Bishop  Cummins's  whole 
heart  was  not  in  his  work.  This  was  by  no  means 
the  case  ;  but  we  know  that  at  times  he  felt  more  keen- 
ly the  desertion  of  friends  whom  he  had  loved  so 
long  and  so  well,  and  at  such  moments  his  tender 
loving  spirit  longed  for  the  wealth  of  affection  that 
was  peculiarly  precious  to  him  in  his    own    family. 

June  4th  Bishop  Cummins  dedicated  Christ  Church, 
Rahway,  N.  J.,  and  preached  at  night  of  the  same 
day  ;  he  held  service  in  the  largest  hall  in  the  town, 
and  all  the   Protestant    congregations  were  present. 

It  was  a  memorable  occasion  ;  full  reports  of  the 
services  were  given  in  the  papers. 

The  following  account  is  given  by  a  lady,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  in  Rahway, 
for  which  we  are  indebted  : 

"  The  last  official  visitation  made  by  Bishop  Cummins 
was  at  Rahway,  N.  J.  The  congregation  of  Christ  Church 
having  secured  a  small  chapel,  and  neatly  fitted  and  fur- 
nished it,  the  bishop  was  invited  to  consecrate  it  to  the 
worship  of  God,  and  for  this  purpose  he  visited  Rahway,  ar- 
riving there  on  Saturday,  June  3d,  a.d.  1876,  and  was  enter- 


IVOHA^  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.   50I 

tained  at  the  house  of  Judge  George  W.  Savage    senior  war- 
den of  the  parish.     The  next  day  being  Whit-Sunday,   the 
form,  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church, 
'  for  the  Consecration  or  Dedication  of  a  church  or  chapel, 
was  observed,   after  which  the  bishop  preached  from  John 
12  •  21,  '  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus.'     He  appeared  to  be  in 
e.Kcellent  health  and  spirits.     The  little  chapel  was  crowded. 
Chairs  were  brought  in,  and  every  foot  of  space  from  the  door 
to  the  chancel  rail  was  occupied.     Besides  the  regu  ar  con- 
gregation of  the  church,  there  were  representatives  from  all 
the  other  churches,  who  came  attracted  by  the  fame  of  the 
bishop      It  would  be  difficult  it  not  impossible  to  portray  the 
effect  of  his  eloquence.     A  fact  will  illustrate  this.     There 
happened  to  be  present  a  reporter  of  a  New  York  paper  ;  he 
was  visiting  a  newspaper  publisher  in  Rahway,  and  they  came 
to  the  services  on  the  invitation  of  one  of  the  members  of  the 
church.     The  reporter  brought  his  pencil  and  note-book,  and 
when  the  speaker  commenced  the  reporter  began  his  work    For 
a  fevv  minutes  he  plied  his  pencil  rapidly  and  skilfully,  but  pres- 
ently his  eyes  were  withdrawn  from  his  note-book  and  rested 
on  the  preacher,  and  there  they  remained,  and  until  the  close 
of  the  sermon  he  sat  and  experienced  a  Gospel  power  never 
felt  by  him  before.     The  following  are  some  extracts  from  an 
account  of  the  sermon  which  he  wrote  and  published  in  the 
Rahway  National  Democrat  in  its  issue  of  the  following  week. 

BISHOP     GEORGE     D.     CUMMINS. 

"  ^Dedicattonofthe  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  in  Milton  Ave- 
nue,  on  Sunday  Morning,  June  ^-Elo<}uent  Sermon  upon 
the  Text,  'Sir,  we  xvould  see  JesH>.' 

■■  '  The  return  of  the  Chris'lnn  festival  of  Whitsuntide  was 
appropriately  marked  in  th,s  cty  las.  Sabbath  by  the  ded.ca- 
Z,  in  the  morning,  of  the  Reformed  Ep.-pal  Chu^h  .„ 
Milton  Avenue.     The  services  were  condueted  by  the  distm 


502  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

guished  Bishop  George  D.  Cummins,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gal- 
lagher, the  esteemed  pastor  of  the  church.  Notwithstanding 
the  sultry  weather,  the  attendance  was  so  large  that  extra  seats 
were  necessary  in  the  aisles.  The  fame  of  the  bishop  had 
long  preceded  him,  and  high  as  were  the  expectations  of  his 
hearers,  they  were  not  disappointed.  From  beginning  to 
end  every  eye  was  riveted  upon  the  inspired  Episcopal  Re- 
former, whose  great  personal  sacrifices  in  behalf  of  the  cause 
he  espoused  about  two  years  ago  have  resulted  in  signal  suc- 
cess. 

"  'Without  entering  into  a  discussion  of  his  theological 
views,  or  the  simpler  forms  of  worship  and  liberal  spirit  in- 
troduced in  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he 
and  Bishop  Cheney  are  perhaps  the  most  efficient  pioneers 
and  champions,  it  seems  entirely  due  to  this  eminent  man  to 
say  that,  by  his  extraordinary  combination  of  oratorical  attri- 
butes, his  zeal,  logic,  grace,  learning,  and  genius,  he  must 
continue  to  prove  a  most  powerful  advancer  of  the  more  lib- 
eral views  and  modified  forms  of  Episcopal  devotion  which 
he  so  lucidly  interprets  and  courageously  defends. 

"  '  Unlike  many  apostles  of  religious  or  other  reforms,  it  was 
agreeable  to  notice  that  Bishop  Cummins,  with  all  his  fervor, 
fluency,  and  faith,  entered  upon  no  fanatical,  unfraternal  as- 
saults upon  adverse  creeds.  There  was  nothing  of  cant  in 
his  phraseology,  rant  in  his  delivery,  dogmatism  in  his  argu- 
ment, nor  bitterness  in  his  manner.  His  ardent  flights  of 
eloquence  spellbound  every  auditor.  He  is  a  master  of  elo- 
cution, of  pathos,  and  of  word-painting.  With  an  enviable 
volume  of  voice,  it  is  never  raised  to  unnecessary  or  unpleas- 
ant loudness.  It  is  flexible,  musical,  sympathetic,  and  so  dis- 
tinct is  his  enunciation  that  his  lowest  tones  are  audible  to  re- 
mote listeners.  Remarkably  fervid  in  thought,  speech,  and 
action,  he  does  not  ever  pain  by  any  sign  of  exhaustion  or 
overstraining  for  effect.  Reserved  physical  and  mental 
power  are  manifest  throughout.     His  style  is  eminently,  we 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.   503 

had  almost  said  pre-eminently,  classic.  His  gesticulation 
and  attitudes  are  distinguished  for  grace  and  dignity,  and  are 
powerful  aids  to  an  appropriate  and  almost  faultless  style  of 
declamation.  Refinement  and  propriety  are  seen  in  every 
detail  of  his  manner.  Although  his  diction  is  chastely  choice 
and  copious,  it  is  never  unduly  florid  ;  and  though  his  points 
are  often  startling  and  picturesque,  they  are  far  from  being 
what  is  termed  theatrical.  He  was  evidently  born  for  the 
pulpit,  which  he  has  graced  for  about  thirty  years. 

"  '  His  power  of  vivid  delineation  is  one  of  his  most  im- 
portant merits.  Numbers  were  moved  to  tears  by  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  crucifixion  ;  and  when,  at  the  awful  climax,  he 
affirmed  it  to  be  his  conviction  that  the  Saviour  died,  not 
from  bodily  suffering  upon  the  cross,  but  from  a  broken 
heart — '  the  oppression  of  his  mental  agony  broke  his  heart !  ' 
— every  eye  was  strained  toward  him,  every  breast  among  the 
auditors  seemed  to  heave  with  sympathetic  emotion,  as  if  the 
speaker  was  divinely  inspired,  so  electric  was  his  utterance 
and  whole  manner.  His  discourse  was  remarkable  for  felicity 
of  illustrations,  and  the  graphic  manner  of  their  recital  ; 
among  them  the  story  of  the  painting  of  the  Lord's  .Supper, 
by  Da  Vinci,  of  the  Dying  Bishop  Beveridge,  and  of  the 
Shadow  of  the  Cross,  by  Holman  Hunt,  described  in  terms  so 
glowing,  earnest,  affecting,  and  concise  that  the  scenes  seemed 
almost  really  in  presence  of  the  hearers. 

' ' '  The  crystalline  clearness  of  his  explanations  makes  the 
ideas  of  Bishop  Cummins  intelligible  on  the  instant  of  their 
utterance.  Clearness  and  compactness  are  indeed  leading 
characteristics  of  his  style  ;  and  more  than  any  public 
speaker  the  writer  has  ever  heard  does  this  remarkable  man 
embody  the  attributes  of  which  Webster  once  said  :  "  Clear- 
ness, force,  and  earnestness  are  the  qualities  necessary  to  pro- 
duce conviction  ;"  while,  keeping  company  with  all,  and  con- 
sonant with  all  his  ideas  and  words  and  imagery,  is  that  other 
::itrii)ute,  of  which  the  great  statesman  said,  "  It  is  something 


504  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

higher  and  better  than  all  eloquence  ;  it  is  action,  noble,  sub- 
lime, godlike  action  !  ' ' 

"  '  Judging  by  what  we  witnessed  of  the  effect  of  that  ser- 
mon upon  the  congregation,  we  should  say  that  the  commu- 
nicants of  that  society  have  reason  of  be  thankful  that  the 
dedication  occurred  under  such  auspicious  influences.  A 
profound  religious  sensation  was  created,  which,  as  it  tends 
to  mortal  and  immortal  good,  we  hope  will  prove  a  lasting 
one.' 

"  After  the  sermon  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered, 
and  the  little  flock  there  present  remember  with  thankfulness 
the  occasion  when  they  were  privileged  to  come  to  the  Lord's 
table  with  their  beloved  bishop,  who  was  so  soon  called  by 
the  Father  to  sit  in  heavenly  places  and  to  eat  the  marriage 
supper  of  the  Lamb. ' ' 

"  In  the  afternoon  the  bishop  administered  for  the  last 
time  the  rite  of  baptism  to  a  little  child,  who  was  named  after 
him.  In  the  evening  he  preached  the  introductory  discourse 
to  the  Christian  Union  formed  of  seven  churches  of  the  city. 
The  several  pastors  assisted  in  the  services.  From  the  paper 
above  quoted  we  take  the  following  : 

"  The  text  was  from  St.  John  lo  :  i6  :  '  And  other 
sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold  :  them  also  must  I 
bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice  ;  and  there  shall  be  one 
fold  and  one  shepherd.'  The  speaker  considered  that  the 
word  'fold,'  as  first  used,  if  rightly  translated,  would  be 
'  flock, '  and  that  Christ  meant,  in  this  prophetic  saying,  to 
indicate  that  there  would  be  many  folds,  but  all  belonging  to 
one  flock  ;  in  other  words,  many  denominations  of  Christians, 
but  all  really  belonging  to  and  forming  only  one  Christian 
Church. 

' '  His  elaboration  of  this  idea  was  an  illustration  of  that 
liberal,  anti-sectarian  spirit  which  is  becoming  largely  diffused 
by  many  of  the  most  enlightened  of  the  apostles  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the   various  branches  of   the   Protestant  Church. 


WORK'  IN  THE  HE  FOR  MED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.   505 


He  welcomed  this  sign  of  tendency  toward  the  ultimate  unity 
of  all  Christians,  and  hoped  the  time  would  speed  when  all 
would  worship  together  on  the  same  basis  ;  and  that  the  truth 
would  be  recognized,  that  mankind  are  to  be  made  Chris- 
tians, not  by  being  brought  to  Christ  through  the  Church, 
but  to  the  Church  through  Christ.  He  challenged  the  pro- 
duction of  a  single  word  or  sentence,  in  the  whole  history  or 
teachings  of  Christ,  which  sustained  the  theory  that  divine 
authority,  the  power  to  grant  remission  of  sins,  etc.,  were 
ever  delegated  to  any  one  man  or  Church  ;  he  disproved  the 
fallacy  of  human  infallibility,  and  illustrated  the  sophistry  of 
those  who  argue  the  possibility  of  making  all  men  think  ex- 
actly alike  upon  religious  topics,  quoting,  as  worthy  of  con- 
sideration, the  maxim  :  '  In  essential  things,  unity  ;  in  non- 
essential things,  liberality  ;  in  all  things,  charity. ' 

"  Among  the  impressive  illustrations  in  the  discourse  he 
quoted  the  anecdote  of  John  Wesley,  who  was  asked  by  some 
fanatical  enthusiast  of  his  church  if  he  expected  ever  to  meet 
Whitfield  (with  whom  he  disagreed  on  some  points)  in  heaven. 
'  No,'  was  the  answer  ;  '  for  if  I  should  be  so  fortunate  as 
to  be  admitted  into  heaven,  I  should  be  unable  to  see  that 
glorious  spirit,  he  will  be  so  far  above  me  !  ' 

"  Space  is  too  limited  for  us  to  do  any  thing  like  justice 
to  this  remarkable  discourse,  and  we  will  conclude  by  simply 
saying  that  both  Bishop  Cummins  and  the  Church  of  whose 
doctrines  he  is  so  powerful  an  exponent,  assuredly  stand 
higher  in  the  esteem  of  this  community  than  at  any  previous 
period." 

June  nth  he  preached  in  the  Church  of  the  Incar- 
nation, Brooklyn,  in  the  morning,  and  at  the  Mission 
Church,  Jersey  City  Heights,  at  night. 

''  June\%. — Preached  twice  in  Bethany  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  Baltimore." 


5o6  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

This  is  the  last  record  of  his  work  on  earth. 
"  Through  labors  into  rest." 

We  give  here,  as  in  its  proper  connection,  the  last 
important  publication  of  Bishop  Cummins,  which  ap- 
peared in  the  Chicago  Appeal  in  reply  to  the  charges 
of  inconsistency  which  had  been  so  persistently  made 
against  him,  and  everywhere  industriously  circulated. 

In  a  letter  dated  June  loth  he  writes  to  a  friend 
who  desired  its  more  extensive  circulation,  "  that  it 
be  suggested  to  Mr.  Powers  to  print  it  in  tract  form, 
with  some  such  title  as  "  How  I  became  a  Prayer-Book 
Revisionist."  That  beloved  friend  through  whose 
liberality  the  Prayer  Book  and  the  tracts  of  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church  have  been  printed  and  so 
widely  disseminated,  and  who  has  recently  joined 
Bishop  Cummins  in  the  home  above,  published  the 
letter  with  the  title  "  Following  the  Light." 

"  My  Dear  Bishop  Cheney  :  I  have  just  learned  that  a 
reprint  of  my  sermon  on  the  Prayer  Book  is  about  to  be  is- 
sued in  Chicago,  at  the  expense  of  a  single  individual,  with  the 
title-page  as  follows,*  the  sole  purpose,  doubtless,  being  an 
attempt  to  hinder  the  work  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church,  by  placing  in  contrast  my  fervent  eulogy  of  the 
Prayer  Book  in  1867  with  my  earnest  advocacy  of  revision 
in  1873.  This  is  only  one  of  the  many  reprints  of  this  ser- 
mon which  have  been  published  and  scattered  freely  in  all 
parts  of  this  country  by  the  opponents  of  our  work  of  reform. 
I  think  as  many  as  six  different  editions  have  been  published, 
one  bishop  alone  circulating /i?//;/'  thousand  co^x^?,. 

*  "  The  Prayer  Book  a  Basis  of  Unity."  By  the  Rt.  Rev.  Geo.  D. 
Cummins,  D.D.,  Assistant  Bishop  of  Kentucky.  Published  by  Resolu- 
tion  of  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky.  Louisville,  Ky., 
1867.  Reprinted  in  1875,  by  a  Communicant  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church. 


IVORK  LV  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  SO/ 

"  The  time  seems  to  have  come,  in  my  judgment,  to  break 
the  silence  which  I  have  kept  when  taunted  with  inconsis- 
tency, and  to  justify  myself  from  the  imputation,  at  least,  in 
the  minds  of  the  dear  friends  whose  good  opinion  I  so  highly 
esteem.  To  do  this,  I  am  compelled  to  obtrude  myself  and 
my  personal  experience  before  others  in  a  way  that  I  have 
heretofore  shrunk  from  doing.  Justice  to  myself  and  to  the 
cause  of  our  dear  Church  demands  that  I  should  keep  silent 
no  longer. 

"  In  the  year  i860,  when  rector  of  St.  Peter's  Church, 
Baltimore,  I  was  invited  to  preach  at  the  anniversary  of  the 
Bishop  White  Prayer  Book  Society,  in  Philadelphia,  and  de- 
livered the  sermon  which  has  just  been  reprinted  in  your  city. 
It  was  preached  again,  revised  and  remodelled,  before  the 
Convention  of  the  Diocese  of  Kentucky,  in  May,  1867,  and 
published  by  order  of  the  Convention.  In  both  years,  i860 
and  1867,  the  sermon  expressed  the  deepest  and  most  honest 
convictions  of  my  soul.  The  Prayer  Book  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  was  very  precious  to  me,  and  I  longed  to 
see  it  become  the  heritage  of  all  Protestant  Christendom. 
The  music  of  its  words  was  like  the  music  of  old  songs,  of 
which  the  heart  never  wearies,  or  like  the  memory  of  sweet- 
toned  church-bells  heard  in  childhood,  and  forever  echoing  in 
the  ear  of  the  wanderer  from  home.  I  was  not  of  the  number 
of  those  who  advocated  Prayer  Book  revision,  for  I  did  not 
see  the  necessity  for  it.  I  accepted  the  teachings  of  the 
Prayer  Book  on  baptismal  regeneration,  a  human  priesthood, 
the  real  presence,  and  apostolic  succession,  in  the  sense  in 
which  Evangelical  men  received  them,  denying  the  plain  lit- 
eral meaning  of  the  words,  and  giving  to  them  an  interpreta- 
tion utterly  unwarranted.  I  had  watched  the  rise  and  spread 
of  the  Oxford  tract  movement  until  it  had  leavened  to  a  vast 
extent  the  whole  English-American  Episcopal  Churches,  but 
I  firmly  believed  that  this  school  was  not  a  growth  developing 


508  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

from  seeds  within  the  system,  but  a  parasite  fastening  upon 
it  from  without  and  threatening  its  very  Hfe. 

"  This  was  my  position  toward  the  Prayer  Book  up  to 
the  year  1868.  That  year  brought  with  it  a  thorough  change 
in  my  views  of  the  Prayer  Book  and  its  relation  to  the  rise 
and  growth  of  the  sacerdotal  system  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 
How,  then,  were  mine  eyes  opened  ?  By  two  instrumentali- 
ties, working  together  under  the  good  providence  of  God. 

"I,  In  the  year  1868  appeared  in  print  a  modest  pam- 
phlet by  an  unknown  author,  entitled,  '  Are  there  Romanizing 
germs  in  the  Prayer  Book  ? '  The  author  was  ascertained 
afterward  to  be  the  Rev.  F.  S.  Rising,  Secretary  of  the 
American  Church  Missionary  Society,  a  saintly  man  whose 
early  death  and  loss  we  have  not  yet  ceased  to  deplore.  A 
copy  of  Mr.  Rising's  tract  reached  me  by  mail,  and  I  well 
remember  the  repugnance  which  the  very  title  awakened,  and 
with  which  I  began  its  perusal.  That  simple  agent  Avas  the 
first  instrument  for  awakening  my  mind  to  the  truths  I  had 
so  long  ignored,  and  to  the  facts  of  history,  into  the  investi- 
gation of  which  I  had  shrunk  from  entering.  The  whole 
subject  was  reconsidered  under  a  new  light,  from  unimpeach- 
able facts,  and  these  were  the  conclusions  in  which  my  mind 
firmly  rested. 

"  I.  That  the  Reformation  in  the  Church  of  England 
was  never  perfected,  on  account  of  the  failure  to  secure  a 
thoroughly  purified  Prayer  Book,  a  Prayer  Book  in  entire  har- 
mony with  the  Word  of  God. 

"2.  That  the  failure  was  not  the  fault  of  the  early  re- 
formers, but  arose  from  causes  over  which  they  had  no  con- 
trol, chiefly  from  the  subjection  of  the  Church  to  the  State. 
Under  Edward  VI.  the  work  of  revision  was  begun  nobly 
and  earnestly,  but  was  cut  short  by  the  early  death  of  that 
monarch  and  the  restoration  of  the  Papacy.  Yet  so  zealous 
were  the  Edwardean  Reformers,  that  within  three  years  two 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  509 

prayer  books  were  set  forth,  that  of   1552   being   much  more 
distinctly  scriptural  and  anti-Romanistic  than  that  of  1549. 

"3.  '  That  the  most  prominent  and  essential  difference 
between  the  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament  and  the 
Christianity  of  Church  tradition,  and  therefore  between  the 
Christianity  of  the  great  Reformers  and  the  Christianity  of 
Romanism,  is  to  be  seen  in  the  rejection  or  recognition  of 
sacerdotalism^''  and  yet  in  each  revision  of  the  Prayer  Book 
since  1549  the  changes  have  all  been  in  favor  of  sacerdotal- 
ism, and  not  against. 

"  Thus  the  third  revision  of  1559,  under  Elizabeth,  re- 
stored the  sacerdotal  vestments  of  the  ministers,  expunged 
the.  rubric  explaining  the  posture  of  kneeling  at  the  Lord's 
Supper,  so  as  to  free  it  from  any  sanction  of  eucharistic  ado- 
ration, and  provided  a  formula  to  be  used  in  distributing  the 
bread  and  wine  in  the  communion  which  a  Romanist  could 
easily  interpret  as  teaching  his  doctrine  of  the  real  presence. 

"  The  fourth  revision  of  1604,  under  James  I.,  added  to 
the  calendar  a  large  number  of  Saints'  Days,  and  constructed 
a  catechism  which  favored  the  sacramental  teachings  of  the 
unreformed  Church.  The  fifth  and  last  revision  of  the  Eng- 
lish Prayer  Book,  in  1662,  under  Charles  II.,  was  marked  by- 
very  decided  retrograde  or  anti-reformation  changes,  such  as 
the  substitution  of  the  term  '  Priest '  for  '  minister, '  the 
changing  of  the  prayer  in  the  litany  for  '  bishops,  pastors, 
and  ministers, '  to  'bishops,  priests,  and  deacons, '  and  the 
?nanual  consecration  of  the  material  elements  in  both  the  sac- 
raments, which  had  been  discontinued  in  the  Reformed 
Church  from  the  time  of  the  second  Prayer  Book  of  Edward 
VI.,  a  hundred  and  ten  years  before. 

"  The  American  revision  of  the  Prayer  Book,  in  1785,  by 
the  General  Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
purified  the  book  from  sacerdotalism  ;  but  that  good  work 
failed  to  receive  the  approval  of  the  subsequent  Convention 
of  1789,  which  restored  the  word  '  priest '  instead  of  '  min- 


5IO  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

ister, '  the  thanksgiving  for  the  regeneration  of  the  infant  in 
the  baptismal  office,  and  substituted  the  Scotch  communion 
office,  with  '  the  Oblation^ '  in  place  of  that  of  the  English 
Church. 

"  4.  Since  the  year  1868  I  have  never  doubted  wherein 
lay  the  strength  of  the  sacerdotal  system,  which  has  gained 
such  overwhelming  preponderance  and  influence  in  the  Eng- 
lish and  American  Episcopal  Churches.  I  could  then  an- 
swer the  question  why,  at  the  close  of  three  hundred  years  of 
the  history  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  England,  and  of  her 
daughter  in  this  land,  the  mighty  struggle  should  still  be  go- 
ing forward,  which  is  to  determine  whether  the  future  of  that 
Church  shall  be  Protestant  or  Romish,  faithful  or  unfaithful 
to  the  teachings  of  the  earliest  and  purest  reformers  ?  It  was 
because  the  design  of  those  Reformers  had  been  frustrated  by 
statecraft  and  priestcraft,  and  their  work,  begun  so  nobly 
under  Edward  VI.,  had  been  suffered  to  remain  unfinished, 
unperfected.  The  strength  of  sacerdotalism  in  these 
Churches,  the  very  '  hiding  of  its  power,'  is  in  the  Prayer 
Book  itself,  in  the  germs  of  error  which  have  never  been 
eradicated,  and  which  have  now  borne  so  baleful  a  harvest 
on  both  continents. 

"  II.  But  another  instrumentality  arose  in  my  pathway 
to  aid  in  producing  this  profound  conviction. 

"  In  the  same  year,  1868,  a  Ritualistic  service  was  intro- 
duced for  the  first  time  into  the  diocese  of  Kentucky,  and 
the  unspeakable  trial  was  placed  upon  me  of  being  compelled 
to  discharge  my  official  duty  in  visiting  this  church  and  taking 
part  in  its  services.  Within  a  year  or  two  a  second  service 
of  the  same  order  was  established  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  and 
this  time  by  one  who  had  been  a  youth  in  my  first  parish  in 
Virginia,  and  who  had  been  personally  very  dear  to  me  as  a 
friend. 

"  The  terrible  evil,  so  much  dreaded,  was  brought  in  im- 
mediate contact  with  me  in  my  highest  and  most  solemn  du- 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.   5  I  1 


ties.  I  was  compelled  to  stand  in  the  presence  of  altar  and 
super-altar,  of  brazen  cross  and  candlestick,  and  to  behold 
priest  and  people  turning  again  and  again  toward  that  altar, 
and  bowing  in  profound  adoration  toward  it,  while  to  my  own 
soul  such  acts  were  idolatrous,  dishonoring  and  insulting  to 
Jesus,  the  Church's  only  Altar,  Priest,  and  Sacrifice. 

"  These  men  claimed  to  stand  on  the  Prayer  Book,  to  be 
satisfied  with  the  Prayer  Book  as  it  is.  They  had  been  or- 
dained to  the  'priesthood'  by  a  formula  which  said,  '  Receive 
the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  office  and  work  of  a.  priest,  now  com- 
mitted unto  thee  by  the  imposition  of  our  hands.  Whoseso- 
ever sins  ye  forgive  they  are  forgiven,  whosesoever  sins  ye  re- 
tain they  are  retained.'  If  they  were  made  'priests,'  they 
must  have  something  to  offer,  a  sacrifice,  and  an  altar  on 
which  to  present  the  oblation.  The  service  provided  for 
their  institution  into  their  office  declared  them  invested  with 
'  sacerdotal  functions,'  inducted  into  '  sacerdotal  relations,'  and 
appointed  to  serve  at  the  '  Holy  Altar. ' 

"  I  felt  it  in  vain  indeed  to  attempt  to  oppose  the  en- 
croachments of  this  system,  while  these  and  other  offices  of 
the  Prayer  Book  remained  unchanged.  If  remonstrated  with, 
these  teachers  could  answer  that  they  stood  upon  the  Prayer 
Book  ;  that  the  plain,  literal  meaning  of  the  words  of  that 
book  were  on  their  side  ;  and  that,  as  a  great  leader  of  the 
school,  Dr.  Pusey,  had  said,  they  had  made  their  way  by  the 
Prayer  Book.  If  told  that  their  interpretation  was  wrong, 
they  could  reply  that  a  great  company  of  bishops,  clergy,  and 
laity  held  to  the  same  interpretation  and  claimed  to  be  loyal 
Prayer-Book  Churchmen. 

"  How  was  this  evil  system  to  be  met  and  overthrown? 
Not  by  the  administration  of  discipline.  Alas,  the  Church 
seemed  to  have  lost  the  power,  inherent  in  a  healthy  organ- 
ism, to  cast  off  the  disease.  The  courage  was  wanting  to 
grapple  with  the  evil.  Jt  is  a  startling  fact  that  up  to  the  year 
1875  110  two  presbyters  0/  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  were 


512  GEORGk  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

found  willing  to  present  for  trial  one  of  the  men  of  this  school, 
and  the  effort  in  Baltimore  last  year  resulted  in  ignominious 
failure.  Legislation,  too,  had  utterly  failed,  and  after  a  long 
and  earnest  effort  of  the  General  Conventions  of  1868  and 
1 87 1  to  check  the  system,  every  plan,  including  even  a  canon 
forbidding  eucharistic  adoration,  met  with  utter  defeat. 

"  A  mighty  change  came  over  my  views  of  the  Prayer 
Book,  and  I  could  not  have  preached  the  sermon  of  1867 
one  year  later.  If  there  be  any  disgrace  in  such  a  confession, 
I  am  content  to  bear  it.  For  eight  years  past  I  have  held  the 
conviction  most  strongly,  and  never  for  a  moment  waver- 
ingly,  that  there  is  but  one  cure  for  the  evils  that  afflict  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  England  and  America,  and  that  is  the 
purification  of  the  Prayer  Book,  the  thorough  eradication 
from  the  offices  of  every  word  and  phrase  which  gives  coun- 
tenance to  the  sacerdotal  system.  If  Ritualism  and  High- 
churchism  be  indeed  of  God  ;  if  the  teachings  of  the  Oxford 
Tract  School  contain  the  very  '  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ; '  if  the 
Christian  ministry  be  a  priesthood  invested  with  supernatural 
powers,  empowered  to  forgive  and  retain  sins  ;  if  justification 
and  regeneration  are  by  baptism  ;  if  the  real  body  and  blood 
of  Christ  are  present  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  received  with 
the  bread  and  wine  by  the  communicant ;  if  the  Holy  Ghost 
be  transmitted  by  and  through  human  hands  in  an  order  of  a 
hierarchy,  and  thus  only  can  men  have  fellowship  with  the 
apostles  and  with  Jesus  ;  if  these  be  the  doctrines  which  Jesus 
taught  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem, 
if  they  constitute  '  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  '  which 
St.  Paul  rejoiced  to  preach  among  the  Gentiles,  then  verily 
the  Prayer  Book  needs  no  revision,  no  purification.  But  if 
the  dogmas  of  apostolic  succession,  baptismal  regeneration, 
the  real  presence,  and  a  human  priesthood  be  '  another  gos- 
pel,' as  all  Evangelical  men  hold  and  have  ever  held,  then  is 
it  their  highest  and  most  solemn  duty  to  cast  them  out  of  the 
Prayer  Book,   whatever  may  be  the  sacrifice.      If  freedom 


WORK  IN  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.   513 

from  the  use  of  offices  and  formularies  which  in  the  plain 
literal  sense  deny  and  prevent  the  truth  of  God,  can  be  se- 
cured in  no  other  way  than  by  rending  the  ties  of  a  lifetime, 
and  '  counting  all  things  but  lost,'  there  cannot  be,  there  must 
not  be,  any  hesitation.  '  We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than 
ffiaii,'  is  the  only  and  the  ultimate  appeal. 

"  III.  I  became,  therefore,  in  1868,  an  earnest  advocate 
of  revision,  and  co-operated  heartily  with  all  efforts  to  secure 
that  great  object  by  the  legislative  authorities  of  the  Church. 
You  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  those  efforts.  We  went 
before  the  General  Conventions  of  1868  and  187 1  with  peti- 
tions signed  by  hundreds  of  clergymen  and  laymen  from  all 
parts  of  the  land,  asking  relief  for  Evangelical  men.  We 
asked  but  three  things,  the  use  of  an  alternate  phrase  in  the 
baptismal  office  for  infants,  the  repeal  of  the  canon  closing 
our  pulpits  against  all  non-Episcopal  clergymen,  and  the  in- 
sertion of  a  note  in  the  Prayer  Book  declaring  the  term 
'priest'  to  be  of  equivalent  meaning  with  the  word  presbyter. 
We  were  met  by  an  indignant  and  almost  contemptuous  re- 
fusal. I  was  present  when  a  report  was  made  by  the  chair- 
man of  the  Prayer  Book  Committee  of  the  House  of  Bishops, 
to  whom  these  memorials  had  been  referred  in  1871,  and  that 
report  was  to  the  effect  that  it  was  not  expedient  to  consider 
further  these  petitions,  followed  by  a  resolution  forbidding 
the  printing  of  them  in  the  appendix  of  the  Journal.  And 
this  was  the  deliberate  reply  of  the  authorities  of  the  Church 
to  the  deep  and  almost  agonizing  cry  of  hundreds  of  burdened 
hearts  and  consciences.  The  door  was  closed  in  our  faces. 
The  hope  of  relief  was  utterly  lost.  I  'left  the  General  Con- 
vention of  1 87 1,  feeling  that  a  revision  of  the  Prayer  Book  as 
evangelical  men  desired,  was  an  impossibility  in  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church.  I  returned  to  my  work  with  a  heavy 
heart,  knowing  that  every  effort  to  suppress  the  sacerdotal 
system  by  legislation  had  failed,  and  that  I  was  more  power- 
less than  ever  to  resist  its  influence.   Two  more  years  passed,  in 


514  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 


which  I  wa;  compelled  to  give  an  indirect  sanction  and  sup- 
port to  the  false  system  by  participating  in  services  which,  to 
my  soul,  were  treason  to  Christ,  and  to  bear  this  heavy  trial 
with  no  hope  of  deliverance.  The  burden  was  indeed  intol- 
erable. 

"  But  deliverance  was  nigh  at  hand,  and  when  least  ex- 
pected. '  Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  delivered  them 
out  of  their  distress,  and  he  led  them  forth  by  the  right  way, 
and  he  brought  them  unto  the  desired  haven. '  The  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church  became  the  haven  of  rest  to  many  souls. 

"  The  two  years  and  a  half  which  have  elapsed  since  the 
organization  of  the  Reformed  Church  have  more  than  justi- 
fied the  conviction  which  led  us  forth,  the  hopelessness  of  refortft 
within  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  The  General  Con- 
vention of  1874  almost  contemptuously,  and  by  an  over- 
whelming vote,  rejected  the  petition  of  five  hundred  clergy- 
men, asking  only  for  relief  in  the  use  of  certain  phrases  in 
the  baptismal  office  for  infants,  and,  as  Bishop  McLaren  has 
told  us,  that  question  is  settled  finally  and  forever,  and  the 
Church  holds  to  baptismal  regeneration  as  one  of  the  most 
precious  jewels  committed  to  her  trust.  In  the  short  period 
we  have  existed  as  a  separate  branch  of  the  visible  Church, 
we  have  seen  the  rapid  and  unchecked  progress  of  the  sacer- 
dotal system  in  the  old  Church.  You,  in  Illinois,  have  wit- 
nessed the  election  of  a  bishjp  holding  all  the  extreme  views 
of  Seymour  and  DeKoven,  and  the  whole  Oxford  school. 
We,  in  Maryland,  have  lived  to  see  six  Ritualistic  churches 
established  within  the  limits  of  a  single  city,  with  altars  and 
candles  and  strange  vestments,  with  idolatrous  prostration 
before  material  things,  with  auricular  confession  constantly 
practised  without  rebuke,  with  prayers  for  the  dead  openly 
offered,  and  the  mass  celebrated  at  funerals,  and  with  even 
the  error  painted  upon  the  windows,  in  the  legend,  '  Pray  for 

the  soul  of  sister of  all  saints.'     Evangelical  men  have 

made  the  effort  to  bring  to  trial  the  offenders  in  the  single 


WORK'  IX  THE  REFORMED  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.   51$ 

point  of  offering  prayers  for  the  dead,  but  even  this  effort  has 
failed, andthe  false  teachers  find  themselves  receiving  the  sanc- 
tion and  support  of  a  large  portion  of  the  clergy  and  laity. 
Steadily  and  surely  advances  '  t/ie  tidal  wave,'  as  Dr.  Mahan 
characterized  this  advanced  movement  in  the  General  Con- 
vention of  1 868,  sweeping  away  one  after  another  of  the  old 
Evangelical  landmarks,  separating  the  Church  of  our  fathers, 
each  year  more  and  more,  from  all  the  families  of  Protestant 
Christendom,  and  assimilating  it  more  completely  to  the  un- 
reformed  churches  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  communions. 

"  Faithful  and  true  men  among  our  old  teachers  and  co- 
workers, men  like  Andrews  and  Sparrow,  lift  up  a  trumpet 
note  of  warning  and  alarm,  but  they  fall  at  their  posts,  fight- 
ing in  a  most  unequal  and  hopeless  struggle,  and  there  are  no 
successors  like-minded  to  prolong  the  conflict.  Each  suc- 
ceeding year  the  dogmas  of  apostolic  succession,  baptismal 
regeneration,  and  a  human  priesthood  are  held  and  taught  by 
a  larger  number  of  ministers  and  people.  While  the  men  who 
reject  ihQjure  divino  claim  of  episcopacy,  and  hold  the  Epis- 
copal Church  to  be  only  one  among  sister  churches  of  equal 
dignity  and  validity,  who  cling  to  justification  by  faith  alone 
as  the  very  heart  of  the  Gospel,  and  who  abjure  all  idea  of 
priest,  altar,  and  sacrifice  in  the  Christian  Church,  except  as 
they  are  swallowed  up  in  Jesus,  these  men  are  rapidly  dimin- 
ishing, and  in  another  generation  will  scarcely  be  found  in 
the  old  Church.  What  a  significance  was  there  in  the  cry  of 
Dr.  Sparrow  when  he  heard  of  the  declaration  of  a  number 
of  Evangelical  clergy  of  Philadelphia  expressing  '  profound 
sorrow  and  no  sympathy  '  with  the  effort  to  organize  a  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church.  '  That  declaration  !  '  he  exclaimed, 
'  the  life  for  long  years  of  its  signers,  proves  the  reverse  of 
that  disclaimer.  All  Evangelical  Episcopalians  have  had  and 
professed  the  same  grievances,  and  have  contemplated  the 
possibility  of  secession  in  consequence.  How,  then,  when 
one  of  their  number  makes  possibility  actual,  can  they,  in  a 


5l6  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

moment,  reverse  the  engine  and  move  backward  ?  The  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  needs  only  to  be  liberalized  and  rid 
of  Romish  germs  to  overspread  this  Continent,  at  least  in  the 
upper  and  middle  state  of  society.' — {Memoir  of  William 
Sparro7V,  D.£).,  page  352.) 

"  The  '  Romish  germs,'  as  Dr.  Sparrow  calls  them,  will 
never  be  eliminated  from  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
for  nine-tenths  of  her  clergy  and  people  deny  that  there  are 
any  '  Romish  germs  '  within  the  Prayer  Book,  and  hold  the 
dogmas  thus  designated  as  the  most  precious  truths  of  the 
Gospel.  How,  then,  will  they  ever  consent  to  have  them 
eradicated  ? 

"  That  work  has  been  done  in  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church,  thoroughly  yet  wisely  done,  and  now,  with  a  new 
meaning,  we  may  take  up  the  title  of  my  sermon  of  1867,  and 
claim  the  revised  Prayer  Book  as  a  most  important  step  to- 
ward the  union  of  Protestant  Christians.  Retaining  all  that 
has  made  the  Prayer  Book  precious  to  devout  souls  for  three 
centuries,  and  rejecting  all  that  has  been  a  burden  to  the 
consciences  of  evangelical  men  during  all  that  period,  it  pres- 
ents in  the  '  clearest,  plainest,  most  affecting,  and  majestic 
manner,'  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 
truth,  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

"  In  the  serene  confidence  that  our  work  is  built  on  the 
one  sure  foundation,  the  tried  and  precious  Corner-stone, 
'  Jesus  only, '  I  am,  faithfully  and  affectionately,  your  brother 
in  the  Lord, 

"  George  David  Cummins." 


CHAPTER  XLll. 

THE    END. 

I  need  not  be  missed,  if  another  succeed  me, 

To  reap  down  those  fields  which  in  Spring  I  have  sown  ; 

He  who  ploughed  and  who  sowed  is  not  missed  by  the  reaper, 
He  is  only  remembered  by  what  he  has  done." 

BONAR. 

"  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept 
the  faith." — 2  TiM.  4  ;  7. 

Aged    53. 

ON  Sunday,  June  i8th,  Bishop  Cummins  went  in 
the  morning  to  Baltimore,  to  preach  for  the 
congregation  of  the  Independent  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  at  the  request  of  a  prominent  member  of  that 
church.     He  had  no  appointment  for  that  day,  and 

acceded  to    Mr.  B 's   request    as  that   important 

church  was  then  without  a  pastor. 

Mr.  B drove  him,  after  the  service,  to  his  beau- 
tiful home,  "  Athol,"  near  the  city,  where  he  passed 
the  afternoon  in  most  pleasant  Christian  communion 
with  the  family. 

Before  leaving  his  home  in  the  morning  Bishop 
Cummins  said,  "  I  think  I  will  come  out  to-night" — 
there  was  a  night  train  to  Lutherville.  A  fear  was 
expressed  by  a  member  of  his  family  lest  he  would 
take  cold,  driving  after  preaching  ;  but  he  said,  "  If  I 
do  not  take  the  night  train  I  cannot  get  back  until 
one  o'clock  to-morrow,  and  our  home  is  so  sweet,'' 


5l8  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 


One  of  the  family  sat  up  for  him.  He  reached 
home  about  ii  o'clock,  and  spoke  of  the  church  being 
"so  densely  crowded,"  and  that  speaking  so  ear- 
nestly he  had  become  very  much  heated.  His  text 
was,  ' '  Sir,  we  would  see  Jems. 

Mr.  B 's  son  had  driven  him  very  rapidly  to 

the  station  to  catch  the  train,  and  the  carriage  was  an 
open  one.  He  seemed  impressed  with  the  impru- 
dence of  such  exposure,  and  said,  "  I  will  not  attempt 
this  again."  We  feared  that  he  would  suffer  from 
the  night  ride,  but  Monday  morning  he  seemed 
bright  and  as  well  as  usual,  and  during  the  day  he 
did  not  speak  of  feeling  badly,  nor  was  there  any  symp- 
tom of  his  having  taken  cold. 

Tuesday  he  was  as  bright  and  cheerful  as  ever. 
After  an  early  dinner  we  started  for  a  drive  in  our 
little  pony  carriage,  the  gift  of  dear  friends  in  Chi- 
cago in  1865.  We  took  a  new  road  and  quite  lost  the 
way,  and  were  late  getting  home  ;  but  the  bishop  en- 
joyed the  drive  so  much,  remarking  upon  every 
beautiful  tree  or  bunch  of  ferns  by  the  wayside,  as  was 
his  wont,  seeing  beauty  in  all  the  works  of  God.  He 
went  to  rest  quite  early,  and  awoke  Wednesday  seem- 
ingly as  usual,  but  later  in  the  day  said  he  did  not 
feel  well,  though  no  marked  symptom  manifested 
itself.  He  passed  the  morning  in  the  grounds  around 
the  cottage,  with  his  wife  and  son-in-law,  pruning  and 
clearing  away  the  undergrowth,  taking  the  deepest 
interest  in  every  little  improvement.  He  continued 
to  feel  badly,  but  was  bright  and  cheerful  as  ever. 
After  dinner  on  Wednesday  he  again  went  out  and 
cut  down  several  small  trees  and  trained  the  vines 
over  the  porch,  and  during  the  afternoon  spoke  of 


THE    END.  519 

how  happy  he  was  to  spend  that  lovely  day  out  in  the 
open  air.  It  was  the  first  day  his  wife  had  been  able 
to  be  out  of  the  house  since  her  long  and  severe  ill- 
ness of  three  months. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  he  came  in  and  wrote  in 
pencil  a  few  pages  of  his  report  for  the  coming  Gen- 
eral Council,  which  was  to  meet  in  Ottawa,  Canada, 
the  following  month.  These  were  read  to  the  Coun- 
cil by  Bishop  Nicholson,  the  last  record  of  labors 
among  his  beloved  people. 

At  9  o'clock,  Wednesday  night,  he  was  first  at- 
tacked by  severe  pain.  His  son-in-law  came  afonce 
to  his  bedside  and  prescribed  for  him.  At  10.30  he 
had  another  attack  of  pain  more  severe  than  the  first. 
The  doctor  used  prompt  and  vigorous  remedies  for 
his  relief,  and  watched  by  him  for  several  hours. 
For  a  time  he  seemed  partially  relieved,  but  from  that 
time  his  sufferings  steadily  incrased.  Nothing  in  the 
way  of  palliatives,  used  externally  or  internally,  gave 
him  entire  relief.  The  anodynes  controlled  in  a 
measure  the  agonizing  pain,  but  his  suffering  was  ex- 
treme. He  was  unable  from  the  first  to  take  food 
sufificient  to  nourish  him.  All  through  his  illness  he 
never  uttered  a  word  of  complaint  or  impatience,  but 
would  smile  on  those  who  ministered  to  him,  and 
thank  them  so  tenderly  for  what  they  did  for  him. 
Once  his  wife  said  to  him,  "  Pray  to  Jesus  to  help 
you  bear  this  agony."  "Oh!"  said  he,  with  a  bright 
look  on  his  face,  ''  I  am  doing  that  all  the  time.''  On 
Friday  his  son-in-law  sent  for  a  consulting  physician 
from  Baltimore  ;  he  came,  but  suggested  nothing  that 
Dr.  Peebles  had  not  tried  for  the  relief  of  the  bishop. 

Saturday   morning,   June  24th,  the  anniversary  of 


520  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

his  wedding-day — which  he  had  planned  to  spend 
with  his  family  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Phila- 
delphia— finding  he  was  not  relieved  but  grew  worse, 
telegrams  were  sent  to  several  of  the  clergy  asking 
that  prayers  should  be  offered  in  the  churches  for  his 
recovery.  On  these  prayers  his  loved  ones  rested  with 
fond  hope.  After  the  telegrams  had  been  sent  his 
wife  said  to  him,  "  I  have  done  something  without 
consulting  you,  but  I  so  needed  the  strength  and 
comfort  that  would  come  to  me  if  I  knew  your  clergy 
and  people  were  praying  for  you  to-morrow,  that  I 
have  telegraphed  to  Chicago,  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, and  Baltimore,  asking  their  prayers."  He  said, 
"  I  am  glad  you  thought  of  it."  Sunday  was  a  day 
of  extreme  suffering,  and  remedies,  though  persistent- 
ly used,  gave  little  or  no  relief.  During  his  illness 
his  son-in-law  scarcely  left  his  bedside,  combining 
the  skill  of  the  physician  with  the  watchful  care  of  a 
nurse.  His  dearly-loved  son  watched  also  by  him, 
aiding  his  mother  and  brother-in-law  in  ministering  to 
the  sufferer.  On  Sunday  evening,  while  the  family 
were  at  tea,  his  wife  sang  to  him  the  hymns,  "  Come 
thou  fount  of  every  blessing,"  and  "  Rock  of  Ages  ;" 
he  enjoyed  hearing  them  greatly.  From  the  first 
hour  of  his  illness  his  suffering  was  so  intense  as  to 
require  the  unremitting  services  of  those  around  him. 
He  spoke  but  seldom,  and  chiefly  to  tell  us  what  he 
wished  done  for  him.  Monday  morning  Dr.  Peebles 
noticed  a  change  for  the  worse  had  taken  place,  and 
at  once  sent  the  bishop's  son  for  the  consulting  phy- 
sician from  Baltimore.  At  one  o'clock  his  eldest  and 
dearly-loved  sister  arrived.  At  this  time  the  bishop 
asked  the  doctor  if  there  was  no  hope  of  his  recov- 


THE    END.  521 

ery  ?  The  doctor  answered  that  "Nothing  more 
could  be  done."  He  then  said,  "  Then  let  me  die," 
seemingly  in  reference  to  the  uselessness  of  trying 
more  remedies,  and  to  assure  us  of  his  entire  willing- 
ness to  go.  Turning  to  his  wife  he  said,  "  We  have 
had  such  a  happy  life  together,  and  I  am  so  sorry  to 
leave  you.  I  would  have  been  glad  to  have  worked 
longer  for  the  dear  Church,  but  God  knows  best." 
His  children  gathered  around  his  bed,  and  his  two 
little  grandchildren,  Maude  and  Florence,  whom  he 
loved  so  fondly,  were  brought  to  him  to  receive  his 
last  blessing.  He  smiled  on  seeing  them,  laid  his  hand 
on  their  heads,  and  then  kissed  them.  His  son  had  not 
been  able  to  return  from  the  city  in  time  to  receive  his 
loved  father's  last  words,  but  the  rest  of  the  family 
hushed  their  own  agony  to  catch  everv  precious  sen- 
tence that  fell  from  his  lips.  He  asked  that  all  the  win- 
dows should  be  thrown  open.  His  consciousness  was 
unclouded  to  the  last,  and  the  calm  of  his  spirit  won- 
derful. So  sudden  was  his  illness,  and  so  intense  his 
suffering,  that  all  around  him  were  completely  stunned, 
except  his  faithful  physician,  who  never  allowed  his 
own  grief  to  interfere  for  one  moment  with  his  keen 
insight  into  the  disease,  or  his  unwearied  ministra- 
tions for  the  relief  of  his  loved  father-in-law.  Few 
even  of  Bishop  Cummins's  dearest  friends  knew  of  his 
illness,  it  was  so  short,  so  sudden. 

One  of  his  children  asked  him  what  message  he 
had  for  his  Church  ?  He  said,  "  Tell  them  to  go  for- 
ward and  do  a  grand  work."  His  wife  then  asked 
him,  "  Dading,  do  you  know  me  ?"  The  eyes  that  had 
only  looked  upon  her  in  tenderest  love  for  so  many 
years  were  now  dimmed,  but  he  answered  readily, 


522  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"Yes,  dear,  I  know  you."  She  asked  again,  "Do 
you  know  Jesus  f"  His  face  lighted  up  at  once,  the 
dimmed  eyes  brightened,  and  he  said  earnestly,  "  Oh, 
yes  !  I  know  Jdjji  !  ' ' 

Tenderly,  lovingly,  he  took  leave  of  all  his  loved 
ones — he  had  sent  his  last  message  to  the  Church  of 
his  love,  and  now  he  turned  from  all  earthly  things  to 
commune  with  his  Saviour.  Jesus  seemed  very  near 
to  that  little  group.  Clearly  and  distinctly  the  bishop 
repeated  the  first  verse  of  his  favorite  hymn,  "  Jesus, 
lover  of  my  soul. "  All  sound  was  hushed  save  the 
sweet  tones  of  the  voice  that  had  so  often  told  the 
story  of  Jesus'  love  and  soothed  the  last  hours  of  so 
many  who  had  gone  before.  The  words  grew  fainter 
and  fainter,  and  then,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit," 
came  from   his  lips,  and  the  sorrowing  ones  waited. 

Silence  that  could  be  felt  pervaded  the  room.  The 
song  of  birds  came  in  at  the  open  windows  ;  the  sum- 
mer breeze  stirred  the  leaves  on  the  trees  surround- 
ing this  his  last  earthly  home  ;  the  breath  of  flowers, 
so  loved  and  cherished  by  him,  filled  the  air.  No 
unseemly  sound  reached  the  ear  of  him  who  was  very 
near  home.  Nothing  was  heard  save  what  spoke  of 
God's  work  and  tender  care  for  those  on  earth.  We 
all  thought  our  beloved  one  was  with  Jesus,  so  quietly 
did  he  lie  with  closed  eyes,  when  suddenly  they  open- 
ed, a  brightness  that  was  not  of  this  earth  irradiated 
his  countenance,  the  face  seemed  glorified,  and  he  ut- 
tered these  words  with  ?ijoyo2isihss  that  was  wonder- 
ful, "Jesus!  precious  Saviour!"  These  last  words 
were  those  of  recognition.  We  were  assured  that  he 
was  with  Jesus,  that  before  the  spirit  left  the  body  he 
knew  his  Saviour  and  thus  addressed  him  ! 


THE    END.  523 

Often  through  lite,  in  speaking  of  heaven,  Bishop 
Cummins  said,  "  that  to  him,  the  one  idea  of  heaven 
was  not  that  of  a  place  of  rest,  not  of  unimagined 
beauty,  or  the  entire  freedom  from  suffering  and  trial  ; 
neither  was  it  so  much  that  of  exemption  from  the 
thraldom  of  sin  and  death— zV  was  the  blessedness  of 
being  with  Jesus. 

"Just  gone  within  the  veil,  where  we  shall  follow, 

Not  far  before  us — hardly  out  of  sight ; 
We  down  beneath  thee  in  this  cloudy  hollow, 

And  thou  far  up  in  yonder  sunny  height. 
Gone,  to  begin  a  new  and  happier  story, 

Thy  bitter  tale  of  Earth,  now  told  and  done— 
These  outer  shadows,  for  that  inner  glory, 

Exchanged  forever,  oh,  thrice  blessed  one  !" 

His  beloved  friend  Bishop  Nicholson  arrived 
Monday  night,  and  was  a  comfort  beyond  words  to 
the  stricken  household.  On  Wednesday  they  laid 
him  away  in  the  lovely  cemetery  near  Baltimore.  The 
last  service  was  held  in  the  church  at  the  laying  of 
whose  corner-stone  Bishop  Cummins  said  : 

"  That  his  work  was  nearly  done,  and  that  he  could  will- 
ingly go  from  earth,  now  that  he  had  seen  one  and  another 
beautiful  church  rising  throughout  the  land  from  whose  walls 
would  be  proclaimed  the  precious  Gospel  in  all  its  simplicity 
and  truth." 

The  services  at  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Balti- 
more, were  conducted  by  Bishops  W.  R.  Nicholson 
and  Charles  E.  Cheney.  Rev.  Messrs.  Gallagher,  Sa- 
bine, Washburn,  Postlethwaite,  and  others  assisting. 
Many  of  the  bishop's  friends  were  present  ;  some  from 
his  old  church,  St.  Peter's  (Protestant  Episcopal),  and 
also  from  other  congregations. 


524  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

"  It  is  little  matter  at  what  hour  of  the  day 
The  righteous  fall  asleep.     Death  cannot  come 
To  him  untimely  who  has  learned  how  to  die. 
The  less  of  this  brief  life,  the  more  of  heaven — 
The  shorter  time,  the  longer  immortality."* 

It  would  be  impossible  to  give  here  more  than  ex- 
tracts— and  they  of  necessity  must  be  brief — of  the 
many  precious  words  spoken  of  their  beloved  bishop 
and  founder,  by  the  clergy  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church.  In  every  church  loving  tributes  were  paid 
to  his  memory  ;  letters  poured  in  in  large  measure  to 
the  desolate  family,  all  telling  the  same  story  of  deep 
sympathy  for  them  and  love  for  their  departed  leader  ; 
and  the  "resolutions"  passed  by  the  vestries  of  the 
churches  were  all  valued  testimonies  to  Jus  faithful- 
ness and  their  deep  affection  for  him.  None  were 
more  appreciated  than  those  sent  from  his  former  dear 
church,  St.  Peter's,  Baltimore. 

We  quote  from  Bishop  Nicholson's  sermon,  preach^ 
ed  at  the  opening  of  the  Council  at  Ottawa.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  sermon  the  bishop  says  : 

"  Beloved  Brethren  :  My  heart  interprets  you  that 
you  would  not  be  satisfied  to  have  me  release  your  attention 
until  I  had  spoken  a  brief,  loving  tribute  to  him  whose  mem- 
ory just  now,  by  a  melancholy  interest,  is  uppermost  in  our 
hearts.  Passing,  then,  from  the  discussion  of  our  glorious 
theme,  and  bearing  with  us  its  gospel  blessedness  into  this, 
the  hour  of  our  Church's  sorrow,  permit  me  to  say  that  it 
has  been  with  somewhat  of  painful  effort  I  have  sought  to 
discharge  the  duty  of  this  occasion. 

"  It  was  laid  upon  me  by  his  appointment,  and  so  fre- 
quently during  the  composition  of  my  sermon  my  love  for 

*  Dean  Milman. 


THE    END.  525 

him  brought  up  his  image  before  me,  and  I  delighted  myself 
at  thinking  how  one  with  me  he  would  be  in  the  thoughts  and 
truths  which  I  was  prepared  to  deliver  here.  But  what  unex- 
pected alternations  of  human  experience  !  It  was  while  en- 
gaged upon  the  closing  pages  of  my  manuscript  I  received 
the  startling  telegram,  '  Bishop  Cummins  is  dying  ;  come  in 
the  first  train.*  Dropping  my  pen  I  hastened  with  all  dispatch 
from  Philadelphia  to  his  home  in  Maryland,  that,  if  possible, 
I  might  catch  from  his  own  lips  his  dying  testimony.  Alas  ! 
it  was  too  late.  His  redeemed  spirit  had  been  for  some  time 
with  Jesus  when  I  reached  that  stricken  and  desolate  house- 
hold. Yet,  although  I  had  not  the  privilege  of  listening  to 
his  words,  I  learned  of  his  triumphant  departure  from  the 
vivid  recitals  of  his  weeping  family.  Our  beloved  bishop 
and  leader  was  ready  :  not  merely  resigned,  but  acquiescent. 
His  last  utterance  on  earth  was  no  more  than  what 
infant  lips  might  have  said,  Jesus  !  precious  Saviour  ;  at  once 
his  farewell  to  the  world  below  and  his  home  greeting  above  ; 
the  simplest  of  all  expressions  of  the  heart,  yet  the  sublimest 
of  all  formulas  of  thought  ;  the  shortest,  yet  the  fullest.  So 
he  died,  and  so  he  lives.  In  such  words  as  these,  as  in  a 
chariot  of  fire,  his  ascending  spirit  went  triumphantly  '  far 
above  all  heavens,'  and  yet  not  until  upon  the  Elishas  left 
below  had  fallen  the  mantle  of  Elijah  in  that  message  to  the 
Church,  '  Tell  them  to  go  forward.'  The  very  process  of  his 
dying  was  the  march  of  victory.  Within  one  hour  and  a 
quarter  from  his  first  knowing  that  he  could  not  recover,  all 
was  over.  The  summons  had  come  to  him,  and,  as  it  were, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  he  was  required  to  answer  it.  Yet 
no  consternation,  no  disturbance,  all  was  so  calm,  so  ab- 
sorbed into  the  sweet  will  of  God,  so  blissful.  He  died  as 
he  had  lived  ;  he  lives  as  he  died.  .  .  .  This  is  not  a 
time  to  eulogize  his  character,  neither  to  delineate  his  great 
work,  neither  to  forecast  the  magnitude  of  its  far-reaching 
results.     The  future  will  provide  for  the  due  rendering  of 


526  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

these  services.  .  .  .  We  recognize  without  delay  how 
rich  and  sacred  a  bequest  to  us  is  his  memory.,  so  untarnished. 
We  recall  at  once  the  sweetness  of  his  character,  his  marked 
humility,  his  Christlike  meekness,  his  long-suffering  gentle- 
ness, his  unretaliating  speeches,  his  persistent  patience.  We 
remember  his  abiding /irz///;  in  God  and  his  word,  his  under- 
standing of  the  Gospel,  his  present  trust  in  Jesus,  his  reliance 
on  Christ  as  his  only  righteousness,  his  rejoicings  in  the  full 
blessedness  of  salvation  experienced  ;  his  moral  bravery,  his 
courage  and  faith,  his  self-abnegation,  his  sacrifice  of  self  for 
truth  and  principle  ;  his  fervid  oratory,  his  eloquent  defence 
and  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and  his  influence  over  all.  We 
speak  what  we  know,  and  testify  what  we  have  seen.  Great 
indeed  is  our  loss.  No  other  man,  be  he  transcendent  as  he 
may,  can  ever  stand  to  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  same  relations,  for  he  was  our  Luther.  Nor  shall  his 
name  ever  fade  from  the  councils  of  the  Church  militant. 
He  was  spared  sufficiently  long  to  us  that  our  Church  might 
stand  upon  its  own  feet,  and  now  his  bannner  is  unfurled  to 
the  breezes  of  heaven,  and  on  its  gleaming  folds  is  inscribed 
the  legend,    '  Jesus,  precious  Saviour.' 

From  a  sermon  preached  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Charles 
E.  Cheney,  D.D.,  we  take  the  following  eloquent  sen- 
tences : 

' '  Oh,  beloved,  in  this  hour  of  sorrow,  when  God  has  taken 
from  our  yet  infant  Church  its  founder  and  presiding  bishop  ; 
when  this  mourning  that  draoes  the  walls  of  our  sanctuary  is 
but  a  poor  and  feeble  token  to  the  outward  eye  of  the  sorrow 
that  fills  our  hearts,  it  is  sweet  consolation  to  know  how 
God  looks  upon  the  death  of  the  believer.  ...  I  think 
we  may  best  approach  the  one  thought  that  fills  our  hearts 
to-day — the  character  of  our  departed  bishop — through  the 
vestibule  of  this  divine  consolation.     I  could  not  be  .r  to  esti- 


THE    END. 


527 


mate  what  we  have  lost  did  I  not  begin  with  the  thought  of 
how  much  richer  heaven  is  for  our  bereavement. 

"  I  wish  first  to  speak  of  the  character  of  Bishop  Cum- 
mins as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel.     It  is  in  that  attitude  that 
his  memory  is  recalled  by  every  member  of  this  congregation 
The  pulpit  was  his  throne.  There  he  was  king  ot 
nien  He  was  an  attractive  preacher.     There  was 

in  the  man  that  which  drew  men  around  him  by  an  irresisti- 
ble magnetism.     Endowed  by  nature  with  a  voice  at  once  of 
power  and  sympathetic  quality,   he    never  weaned  his   au- 
dience with  its  loudest  tones,  yet  never  failed  to  penetrate 
the  remote  recesses  of  the   largest  congregation.     It  gave  ex- 
pression to  every  feeling  of  his  heart  ;  it  pleaded,  it  roused, 
it  startled,  it  wept,  it  reasoned.     It  was  persuasive  as  a  flute. 
It  was  triumphant  as  a  trumpet.     It  was  sad  as  an  ^olian 
harp      Then  there  was  a  natural  grace  of  rhetorical  expres- 
sion   unstudied  but  finished,  that  not  only  presented  truth 
but  in  its  most  attractive  form.      He  was  a  born  orator.     .     . 
His   marvellous  felicity  of    illustration   rendered  his  preach- 
ing attractive  to  the  great  mass  of  men.     His  familiarity  with 
hi'story  served  to  furnish  him  with  boundless  stores  of  historic 
illustration.     No  poet  ever  revelled  with  more  intense  delight 
in  nature's  beauties  than  did  he.      Every  mountain,   rock, 
and  stream,  every  tree,   and  flower,  and  blade  of  grass  were 
full  of  voices  that  might  be  made  to  add  new  force  to  his  ex- 
position of    revealed  truth.      ...     He  was   an   intensely 
earnest  preacher.      He  spoke    from  such    conviction  of  the 
reality  and  importance  of  his  message  that  the  flippancy  and 
trifling  so  characteristic  of  many  so-called  '  popular  preachers 
was  as  unknown  to  his  popular  address  as  jesting  amidst  the 
solemn  hush  of  a  death-bed  utterance.     Men  believed  tn  htm 
because  he  believed  in  what  he  told  them.     .     •     •     Said  one 
of  the  vestry  of  his  old  charge  (Trinity  Church,  Chicago)  to 
me  •  '  He  was  at  once  the  greatest  preacher  and  the  most  per- 
fect Christian  that  I  ever  knew  in  the  person  of  one  man. 


528  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 


"  But  the  attractiveness  of  Bishop  Cummins's  preaching 
was  only  surpassed  by  one  other  quality — its  sublime  loyalty 
to  Christ.  '  Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel  '  was  the 
motive  power  in  his  ministry.  He  loved  his  work  with  a 
kind  of  chivalrous  devotion.  He  inscribed  the  name  of 
Christ  on  every  public  act  of  his  ministry.  ...  I  wish  to 
speak  briefly  of  Bishop  Cummins's  character  as  a  man. 
He  was  a  man  of  unfailing  cheerfulness.  His  face  shone  with 
gladness.  He  was  the  happiest  man  I  ever  knew.  .  .  . 
How  many  of  the  sheep  for  which  Christ  died  seem  to  prefer 
the  gloom.  It  was  never  thus  him  of  whom  I  speak  to- 
day. It  was  cheering  to  meet  him — his  presence  dispel- 
led the  clouds.  It  was  impossible  to  resist  the  infectious 
influence  of  his  buoyant  faith  in  God.  Out  of  that  perfect 
faith  sprang  this  perpetual  sunshine.  I  fully  believe  that, 
under  God,  we  owe  much  of  the  advance  made  by  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church  to  this  sweet  and  beautiful  spirit  of 
sunshine  in  our  presiding  bishop.  ...  In  the  most  try- 
ing hours,  when  others'  faith  had  begun  to  fail,  his  cheery 
face  and  pleasant  voice  were  like  the  arbutus  of  our  Northern 
woods,  blooming  and  fragrant  under  the  clouds  and  snow- 
drifts of  gloomy  March. 

"  I  need  hardly  allude  to  his  unselfishness.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  fires  of  persecution  and  trial  through  which  God 
had  led  him  had  purified  the  soul  and  left  scarcely  a  trace  of 
the  dross  of  regard  for  self.  He  counselled  not  with  flesh 
and  blood  when  he  voluntarily  resigned  his  position  as  a 
bishop  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  This  man — 
whom  some  have  charged  with  ambitious  self-seeking — in  the 
stress  of  conscience  laid  down  the  office  to  which  kings  have 
aspired  ;  relinquished  position,  honor,  comfort,  home,  and 
friends,  to  go  forth  an  outcast  from  the  Church  he  had  vainly 
hoped  to  purify.  And  from  that  hour  to  the  moment  when 
he  went  up  to  glory  no  sacrifice  was  deemed  too  great,  no 
self-f orgetf ulness  too  complete. 


THE    END.  529 

"  Bishop  Cummins  was  remarkable  for  a  courage  that  all 
posterity  will  honor  as  heroic.  .  .  .  For,  beloved,  while 
I  know  the  heroism  of  the  man  who  faces  on  open  field  the 
belching  batteries,  or  dies  at  the  stake  a  witness  to  the  truth, 
I  say  there  is  another  order  of  courage.  It  is  his  who, 
sensitive  to  every  touch  of  defamation,  yet  follows  the  voice 
of  God  where  he  knows  that  friends  will  forsake  him,  and 
brethren  repudiate  him,  and  the  Church  and  the  world  con- 
spire to  impeach  his  motives  and  cast  mire  on  the  purity  of 
an  unsullied  name.  It  was  such  courage  that  nerved  Bishop 
Cummins  to  his  work.  Nor  can  I  forget  that  he  had  within 
that  great  soul  even  a  more  heroic  courage  than  that  which 
faces  reproach  and  shame.  To  taunt  Bishop  Cummins  with 
inconsistency  an  old  sermon  of  his  was  recently  republished, 
in  which  he  expressed  his  enthusiastic  admiration  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  How  few  men 
would  have  had  the  courage  to  meet  that  subtle  attack  in  just  the 
way  that  he  did.  His  noble  letter  to  myself,  recently  pub- 
lished, is  one  that  in  its  very  conception  bears  the  stamp  of 
the  true  hero.  He  frankly  says,  '  Every  word  of  that  sermon 
I  uttered  from  my  heart.  I  was  honest  in  my  views  when  I 
preached  it.  But  God  opened  my  eyes,  and  to-day  I  admit  I 
was  mistaken.'  It  was  the  courage  of  Paul  the  Apostle  when 
he  said,  '  I  verily  thought  I  ought  to  do  many  things  contrary 
to  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.* 

"  His  gentleness  and  charity  were  equal  to  his  courage. 
1^0  man  ever  heard  from  his  lips  one  syllable  of  denunciation 
against  the  men  who  loaded  him  with  obloquy.  The  Church, 
the  country,  the  public  press  rang  with  the  foul  names  that 
were  heaped  upon  him.  He  never  hurled  them  back.  Sweet 
and  gentle  as  he  was  heroic,  he  was  ready  to  fling  his  arms  of 
tender  charity  around  the  men  who  stabbed  him  with  the 
dagger  of  their  cruel  slanders  and  reproach. 

"  Beloved,  my  task  is  done.  I  know  full  well  how  im- 
perfect is  the  picture  I  have  drawn.     But  what  I  have  done  I 


530  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

have  wrought  with  a  reverent  love  to  which  all  words  give 
poor  expression.  Last  Monday,  at  a  quarter  past  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  our  beloved  presiding  bishop  breathed  his 
last.     .     .     . 

' '  Two  years  ago  our  dear  bishop  seemed  on  the  verge  of 
the  grave.  .  .  .  The  plant  he  had  set  in  new  soil  had 
hardly  taken  root,  and  God  in  mercy  spared  him  longer  to  us 
and  to  the  work.  To-day  we  weep  over  his  grave.  But  the 
work  he  began  shall  be  carried  on  to  a  glorious  completion. 
To  have  had  such  a  leader  is  the  privilege  of  those 
alone  whom  God  makes  more  than  conquerors.  In  the  sacred 
consecration  of  this  sorrowing  yet  rejoicing  hour  let  us  follow 
him,  even  as  he  followed  Christ." 

We  extract  from  the  forcible  and  discriminating 
discourse  of  Bishop  Samuel  Fallows  the  following- 
passages  delivered  in  St.  Paul's,  Chicago  : 

"  Bishop  Cummins  was  a  preacher  of  the  highest  order. 

"  His  style  was  remarkable  for  its  crystalline  clearness. 
The  golden  sands  of  his  thought  could  ever  be  seen  in  its 
pellucid  depths. 

"  He  selected,  seemingly  on  the  instant,  the  most  happily 
fitting  words  to  convey  his  meaning,  as  the  magnet  seizes  the 
particles  of  steel  out  of  the  intermingled  mass. 

"  Sentences  rounded,  and  golden  periods  apparently  pol- 
ished with  the  most  elaborate  attention,  followed  each  other 
in  constant  succession  in  purely  extempore  efforts.  I  have 
listened  to  most  of  the  leading  pulpit  orators  of  our  day,  and 
in  this  particular  I  do  not  know  his  equal,  let  alone  his  su- 
perior. 

"  The  address,  made  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  at  the 
last  General  Council,  in  reply  to  the  fraternal  greetings  of 
Bishop  Harris,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was  a 
gem  of  beauty.  It  was  like  '  apples  of  gold  in  pictures  of 
silver. ' 


THE    END.  531 

"  Some  of  his  finest  efforts  in  the  pulpit  and  on  the  plat- 
form were  so  largely  extemporaneous  that  they  have  been 
lost  to  the  Church.     They  will  live  only  in  memory. 

"  He  combined  qualities  as  a  speaker  which  are  rarely 
found  united  in  the  same  person  ;  a  keen,  discriminating, 
reasoning  faculty  ;  a  vivid  imagination,  and  a  fervid  eloquence 
in  delivery. 

"  No  theme,  however  abstract,  was  uninteresting  in  his 
treatment. 

' '  With  the  rigorous  logic  of  the  Schoolmen  he  would  fol- 
low his  unbroken  line  of  thought  from  beginning  to  end,  but 
it  would  be  along  a  way  belted  with  flowers,  shaded  with  trees, 
opening  up  vistas  of  attractive  loveliness  in  every  direction. 

"  The  dry  bones  of  history  he  would  cover  with  flesh,  and 
living  characters  would  move  and  have  their  being  before  the 
gaze  of  his  enraptured  audiences. 

"  In  word  painting  he  especially  excelled.  Seeing  vividly 
before  him,  as  though  they  were  actualized  outside  of  himself, 
the  scenes  and  images  he  drew,  he  exercised  that  marvellous 
power  of  realistic  description  which  is  the  gift  of  all  transcen- 
dent orators. 

"  His  illustrations  were  natural,  apt,  and  forceful.  They 
were,  indeed,  windows  letting  in  the  streaming  sunlight,  and 
yet  not  so  numerous  as  to  endanger  the  strength  of  the  mental 
structure  he  was  erecting,  or  mar  its  symmetry. 

"  They  were  an  integral  part  of  his  discourses,  growing 
gracefully  out  of  his  subjects,  as  leaves  from  the  tree  or  blos- 
soms from  the  bough. 

**  They  were  never  artificial  appendages,  were  never 
tacked  on  to  produce  an  effect. 

"  His  whole  manner  was  eloquent.  It  spoke  out  with 
power.  His  congregation  was  at  once  impressed  with  the 
subdued  earnestness  and  the  unmistakable  sincerity  of  the 
preacher  when  the  first  sentence  fell  upon  their  ears. 

"  As  he  unfolded  some  favorite  theme  his  face  began  to 


532  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

brighten,  a  deeper  fire  gleamed  in  iiis  eye,  his  entire  body 
was  held  and  swayed  by  the  overmastering  thought,  the  voice, 
musical  as  a  silver  bell,  gained  in  volume  and  power,  the  flow 
of  ideas  was  like  the  rush  of  Niagara,  and  young  and  old  were 
alike  swept  on  by  its  resistless  power.  His  every  produc- 
tion bore  the  current  stamp  of  high  scholarship.  It  had  the 
inspiring  flavor  of  Attic  salt.  He  had  been  a  thorough  stu- 
dent of  the  Classics,  and  had  inherited  the  best  life  of  the 
great  and  commanding  past  of  antiquity. 

"  '  Into  his  mental  self  he  had  incorporated  the  force  of 
its  intellect,  the  acuteness  of  its  reasoning,  the  riches  of  its 
learning,  the  subtlety  of  its  thought,  and  the  exquisite  taste 
of  its  artistic  genius.' 

"  But  not  from  classic  but  from  gospel  Greek  were  his 
themes  chosen. 

"  Cowper  complained  of  some  ministers  in  his  day  who 
had  forgotten  they  were  Christian  ministers.  Of  them  he 
said  :  ' '  How  oft,  when  Paul  hath  served  them  with  a  text, 
hath  Epictetus,  Tully,  Plato  preached." 

"  Not  so  with  Bishop  Cummins  ;  out  of  the  everlasting 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  '  the  classics  of  the  heart,'  did  he 
bring  forth  things  new  and  old.  All  his  learning  was  used  to 
show  forth  the  beauty  and  glory  of  Jesus,  the  Saviour  of  man- 
kind, as  a  costly  setting  the  still  more  costly  jewel. 

"  He  had  made  the  cardinal  feature  of  his  ministerial  life 
the  grand  utterance  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  '  I  am  determined  to 
know  nothing  among  you  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  cruci- 
fied.'    Jesus,  and  Jesus  only,  was  his  commanding  theme. 

"  Did  he  preach  about  the  Church  ?  It  was  only  as  she 
was  the  bride  of  Jesus.  Did  he  dwell  upon  the  sacraments  ? 
It  was  only  as  they  bound  the  heart  to  Jesus.  Was  he  forced 
to  take  up  the  sword  against  error  and  engage  in  many  a 
fierce  polemical  contest  ?  It  was  only  that  he  might  contend 
for  '  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.' 

"  He  constantly  felt  the  spirit  of  one  of  the  strongest 


THE   END.  533 

preachers  of  our  day,  who  wrote  in  his  diary,  '  If  I  take  a 
text  from  the  inspired  volume,  and  do  not  to  the  utmost  ex- 
tent of  my  capacity  and  power  fathom  and  exhaust  its  mean- 
ing, I  feel  that  I  am  a  doomed  man.' 

"  No  Christian  minister  ever  went  to  the  inspired  Word  of 
God  to  learn  its  meaning  and  to  make  it  understood  with  great- 
er singleness  of  purpose,  and  with  a  more  profound  depend- 
ence upon  the  Holy  Ghost  than  he. 

"  With  a  resolute  heart  and  a  sure  hand  he  sounded  the 
spiritual  depths  of  the  Gospel.  He  laid  hold  with  an  unyield 
ing  grasp  upon  its  eternal  truths.  He  brciught  them  home 
with  unerring  directness  to  the  consciences  and  hearts  of  men. 

"  He  made  no  substitute  of  morality  for  saving  faith  in 
Jesus,  or  of  the  filthy  rags  of  man's  '  self-righteousness  '  for 
the  spotless  robe  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ. 

"  He  raised  no  clouds  of  doubt  to  obscure  that  central 
sun,  no  mists  to  semi-infidel  questioning  to  veil  that  precious 
truth. 

"  In  the  majesty  of  his  versatile  enthusiasm,  '  like  the 
apostle  of  old,  he  sought  by  all  means  to  win  some. '  Like 
the  facet-cut  diamond  was  the  many-sidedness  of  his  resplen- 
dent character.  '  He  wept  with  those  that  wept,  and  rejoiced 
with  those  that  rejoiced.' 

' '  The  scholar  found  in  him  an  eager,  sympathetic  listener. 

"  The  man  of  science  found  in  him  the  open  mind  to  re- 
ceive the  latest,  freshest  fact  in  the  world  of  nature,  but  found 
in  him  also  the  devout  believer  in  the  truth  '  that  through  the 
ages  one  increasing  purpose  runs,'  the  purpose  of  an  ever- 
living,  ever-ruling,  ever-loving  God  ;  and  the  fact  in  which  he 
delighted  was  but  the  envelope  of  the  thought  God  had  placed 
within  it,  '  when  he  spake,  and  it  was  done  ;  he  commanded, 
and  it  stood  fast. ' 

"  The  homes  he  visited  were  irradiated  with  the  bright- 
ness of  his  presence  and  the  diffusive  cheerfulness  of  his 
glowing  piety. 


534  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMIN'S. 

*'  Little  children  felt  the  power  of  his  attractiveness  as  the 
flowers  the  drawing  of  the  sun. 

"  His  name  is  like  precious  ointment  poured  forth  in  the 
many  Christian  households  which  felt  themselves  honored  in 
lavishing  upon  him  their  kindest  hospitalities. 

"  Every  member  took  knowledge  of  him  that  he  had  been 
with  Jesus. 

"With  unaffected  humility,  with  heartfelt  thanks  and 
beaming  smiles  he  responded  to  the  least  attention  showed 
him. 

"  His  countenance  itself  was  a  benediction.  Its  sunshine 
would  dispel  the  cloud  from  almost  any  face  or  heart. 

**  To  the  sick  and  suffering  he  was  the  tenderest '  son  of  con- 
solation.' His  arm  of  love  was  thrown  around  the  penitent 
soul  seeking  salvation  through  the  blood  of  Jesus. 

"His  words  of  welcome  to  those  who  came  through  con- 
firmation and  conversion  into  the  Church  were  like  chains  of 
gold  to  bind  them  in  duteous  and  joyful  devotion  to  her  ser- 
vice. 

*'  To  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  he  was  uniformly  the 
same  patient,  gentle,  firm,  devoted  friend  and  brother. 

"  No  prelatical  hauteur  ever  clung  to  him.  By  nature 
and  by  grace  he  would  have  flung  it  from  him  as  though  it 
were  a  deadly  serpent." 

In  a  sermon  preached  by  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Sabine, 
pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  Episcopal  Church  in 
New  York,  he  says  : 

**  Thirty-one  years  ago,  on  an  October  day  in  the  year 
1845,  ^^  one  of  the  parish  churches  of  our  sister  State  of 
Delaware,  a  young  man  stood  before  the  gathered  congrega- 
tion to  take  upon  himself  the  solemn  vows  of  the  Christian 
ministry.  .  .  .  Perhaps  the  youth  of  the  candidate,  his 
evident  earnestness,  and  the  hope  which  his  ability  and  zeal 


THE   END.  535 

inspired  of  future  usefulness  may  have  lent  to  the  occasion  a 
special  charm.  But  however  this  may  be,  we  venture  the  as- 
sertion that  none  of  those  that  day  present  dreamed  of  the 
successes  and  trials  by  which  the  ministry  then  begun  would 
be  attended,  what  should  be  its  outcome,  or  thought  that  the 
youth  who  then  stood  before  them  would  rise  step  by  step  in 
influence  and  esteem  ;  be  advanced  to  the  highest  office  in  the 
gift  of  the  Church  he  served,  and  then,  like  a  second  Luther, 
bringing  light  and  emancipation  to  thousands  of  oppressed 
consciences  and  weary,  waiting  hearts,  become  the  rallying 
centre  for  a  Church  thoroughly  comprehensive,  evangelical, 
consistently  faithful  to  gospel  truth  !  .  .  .  His  ministry 
extended  in  these  parishes  over  a  period  of  twenty  years. 
Everywhere  he  made  himself  hosts  of  friends.  Everywhere 
his  brilliant,  eloquent — ^and  what  was  better  than  either — 
faithful  preaching  attracted  throngs  of  eager  listeners.  Every- 
where .  .  .  many  precious  souls  were  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  The  record  of  those 
years  of  earnest  toil  is  written  on  high.  He  reaps  to-day 
above  with  joy  the  harvest  which  he  sowed  below  in  faith  and 
love.  He  was  as  faithful  and  successful  in  the  Episcopal  as 
he  had  formerly  been  in  the  pastoral  office.  But  his  Episco- 
pate was  no  sinecure  ;  in  his  administration  he  found  himself 
confronted  in  active  opposition  by  the  forces  of  sacerdotalism 
and  ritualism.  It  vvas  a  weary  and  harassing  struggle.  Often 
has  he  told  us  how  it  vexed  his  soul  from  day  to  day.  At 
length  the  finger  of  providence  pointed  out  the  path  of  de- 
liverance. Three  years  ago,  for  an  act  of  Christian  love  and 
fellowship,  he,  a  Christian  bishop,  found  himself  arraigned  as 
a  violator  of  established  ecclesiastical  law,  as  a  traitor  to  the 
Church  to  which  for  near  a  generation  his  best  years  and 
best  powers  had  been  given.  It  was  enough — the  crisis  had 
come.  .  .  .  He  burst  the  bonds  that  bound  him,  and 
stood  forth  a  free  man,  his  soul  aflame  with  the  spirit  of  the 
great  Reformer,     '  I  cannot  do  otherwise,  God  help  me. '     The 


536  GEORGE  DAVID  CUMMINS. 

Reformed  Episcopal  Church  was  born  December  2d,  1873, 
and  from  that  day  to  the  hour  when  he  yielded  his  spirit  into 
the  hands  of  him  who  gave  it,  it  was  never  absent  from  his 
thoughts  and  prayers,  and  was  the  unceasing  object  of  his 
toil  and  effort." 

Mr.  Sabine  then  speaks  lovingly  of 

"  the  singular  humility  of  Bishop  Cummins.  He  was  ever 
ready  to  receive — and  in  the  gentlest,  sweetest  spirit — the  sug- 
gestions, advice,  or  remonstrance  even,  of  men  his  juniors  in 
age  and  his  inferiors  in  information  and  experience. 

"  In  view  of  the  success  of  his  ministry,  the  high  position 
which  he  attained,  the  caresses  and  applause  which  he  re- 
ceived, caresses  and  applause  that  would  have  turned  the 
head  and  proved  the  ruin  of  many  another  man,  this  spirit  of 
humility  must  be  regarded  as  a  very  signal  evidence  of  the  in- 
fluence of  divine  grace  upon  the  heart  and  character.  Rarely 
do  we  meet  with  a  life  in  which  the  apostolic  precept,  '  be 
clothed  with  humility, '  was  so  sweetly  realized,  and  in  this 
respect  he  eminently  resembled  the  Master  he  served. 

"  Bishop  Cummins  was  tende?-ly  syitipathetic  and  warm- 
hearted. He  had  burdens  enough  of  his  own  to  have  broken 
down  twenty  men,  yet  he  never  refused  that  which  came  upon 
him  daily,  the  care  of  the  churches.  He  shared  the  sorrows 
of  his  brethren,  he  entered  into  their  toils,  he  made  their  griefs 
and  joys  his  own,  and  every  struggling  parish  had  its  place  in 
his  heart  and  in  his  prayers.  We  more  than  half  believe  this 
tenderness  helped  to  kill  him  ;  unsuspected  by  others,  but 
perhaps  silently  and  secretly  it  undermined  and  sapped  the 
foundations  of  physical  strength,  and  when  the  storm  of  dis- 
ease fell  upon  him  exhausted  nature  had  no  power  to  resist 
the  strain. 

"  Bishop  Cujnmins  was  ref?iarkable  for  his  cheeriness.  His 
coming,  his  ringing  words,  his  cheery  face,  the  good  news  he 


THE    END.  537 

had  to  tell — he  did  not  like  to  tell  the  bad  news — was  like  the 
coming  of  the  sunshine  on  a  misty  day — the  fog  fled  from  it. 
So  calm  was  his  confidence  in  God,  so  firm  his  conviction  of 
the  justice  of  his  cause,  so  bright  his  hope,  that  he  never  wav- 
ered for  an  instant. 

' '  Bishop  Cummins  ivas  true  to  his  com'ictions.  He  did  not 
study  consequences,  he  only  asked  to  know  God's  will,  and 
for  grace  to  do  it.     .     .     . 

"  Bishop  Cummins  7vas  a  brave  man,  brave  in  the  best  sense 
of  the  word.  His  was  not  brute  bravery,  it  was  high  moral 
courage,  the  courage  of  martyrs  and  confessors  in  the  olden 
time,  such  courage  as  is  twin  brother  to  loyalty  to  the  truth. 
Do  you  wonder  that  we  call  him  brave,  do  you 
wonder  that  he  won  men's  hearts  and  held  them  for  his  own  ? 
It  was  a  part  of  a  piece  with  that  fidelity  that,  when  he  found 
he  could  not,  with  a  clear  conscience,  exercise  his  ministry  in 
the  Church  of  his  love  and  choice,  he  should  withdraw. 

"  It  was  just  in  keeping  with  that  daring  bravery  that 
when  judgment  and  reflection  convinced  him  that  there  were 
thousands  in  that  Church  sighing  over  her  sad  relapse,  and 
waiting  for  one  to  restore  the  paths  of  their  fathers,  he  should 
issue  that  memorable  call.  But  beneath  all  these — at  the  root 
of  all  these — this  singular  humility,  this  tender  sympathy,  this 
fidelity  to  conviction,  this  genuine  bravery,  Bishop  Cummins 
ivas  a  man  of  sincere  and  simple-hearted  piety.  That  sentence 
explains  all — he  loved  Christ  supremely.  He  walked  with 
God  from  day  to  day.  .  .  .  Jesus,  Jesus  only,  was  the 
ground  of  his  hope,  the  object  of  his  faith,  the  grand  theme 
of  all  his  preaching.  .  .  .  His  death  was  every  way  the 
just  and  fitting  finish  of  his  life,  a  top  stone  worthy  of  the 
noble  temple  which  it  crowned. 

"  The  messenger  came  quickly,  but  found  him  ready. 
In  his  peaceful  home,  in  the  bosom  of  his  devoted  family,  in 
which  he  had  ever  been  the  devoted  husband,  the  true  and 
tender  father,  he  passed  away  sweetly  and  gently  as  the  sum- 


538  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

mer  evening  fades  into  the  summer  night,  leaving  behind  him 
the  most  precious  testimonies  of  love  and  confidence  in  a  di- 
vine Saviour.  On  Wednesday,  June  28th,  we  bore  him  from 
his  pretty  suburban  home  to  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer, 
Baltimore,  where  the  burial  service  was  performed — where, 
only  a  few  brief  weeks  before,  he  had  performed  the  first  mar- 
riage service  in  the  new  church  for  his  youngest  daughter — 
.  .  .  in  the  presence  of  a  congregation  which  completely 
filled  the  edifice,  and  from  whence  we  carried  him  to  his  grave 
in  Loudon  Park  Cemetery." 

Among  the  papers  of  Bishop  Cummins  was  found 
the  following  list  of  appointments  : 

'  June  18. — Baltimore. 
'  June  25. — Newark. 

'  ////y  2. . 

'  J^^fy  9- — Toronto. 

'  July  16. — Council  at  Ottawa. 

'  July  30. . 

'  August  13. — St.  John,  Sussex,  Chatham. 
'  August  20. — Moncton. 
'  August  27. — . 

A  prominent  layman  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 
Church  writes  thus,  speaking  of  Bishop  Cummins  •• 

"  We  have  travelled  together  frequently  and  for  long  dis- 
tances. We  have  been  together  very  frequently  in  consulta- 
tion both  officially  and  unofficially,  and  corresponded  by  letter 
on  important  points.  I  have  thus  had  full  opportunities  of 
learning  his  opinions  and  characteristics.  In  consultation 
Bishop  Cummins  was  one  of  the  mildest  and  most  gentle  of 
men,  without  the  slightest  appearance  of  egotism,  and  of 
wonderful  self-control  under  trying  circumstances.     He  re- 


THE    END.  539 

garded  himself  personally  as  nothing,  and  the  cause  of  truth 
as  the  sole  consideration.  For  this  he  made  sacri- 
fices that  appeared  wonderful,  when  all  the  circumstances 
came  to  be  known  through  others  ;  but  he  was  as  wonderfully 
protected  by  providence. 

"  He  nrver  spoke  of  the  sacrifices  he  had  made  in  the  cause 
of  truth,  neither  did  he  dwell  upon  the  trials  that  came  to  him, 
but  frequently  said,  '\\tx).^\tx  for  one  moment  regretted  the 
course  he  had  taken.'  " 

The  following  "  Resolutions"  were  adopted  by 
the  General  Council,  July,  1876  : 

"  At  the  session  of  the  General  Council  of  the  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church,  held  in  Emmanuel  Church,  in  the  city  of 
Ottawa,  Ontario,  Canada,  in  the  month  of  July,  1876,  the 
following  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted. 

"  Whereas,  In  the  providence  of  God  the  senior  bishop 
of  this  Church  has  been  called  from  his  earthly  labors  to  re- 
ceive his  reward  in  heaven,  it  is  right  and  becoming  that  the 
General  Council  should  express  its  high  appreciation  of  the 
magnitude  and  effectiveness  of  his  work  in  behalf  of  this 
Church,  and  of  the  great  loss  it  has  sustained  in  his  death  ; 
therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  we  recognize  in  Bishop  Cummins  a  true 
gospel  Reformer,  raised  up  of  God  for  the  great  and  needed 
work  which  he  performed,  and  owned  of  him  in  the  wonder- 
ful blessing  conferred  upon  his  labors  and  sacrifices. 

"  Resolved,  That  to  the  indomitable  courage,  faithfulness 
to  high  purpose,  whole-hearted  devotion  to  the  cause  of  truth, 
and  the  abiding  faith  in  God  and  his  word  of  the  late  Bishop 
Cummins,  we  owe,  under  God,  the  present  existence  of  our 
beloved  Reformed  Episcopal  Church. 

''Resolved,  That  in  the  sweetness  of  his  character,  his 
great  humility,  his  Christlike  meekness  and  gentleness,  his 
untiring  patience,  his  purity  of  life,  and  integrity  of  purpose, 


540  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

Bishop  Cummins  has  left  to  the  Church  and  to  the  world  a 
bright  example,  of  which  the  memory  should  be  preserved  as 
a  precious  treasure. 

''Resolved,  That  while  we  lament  the  loss  of  one  whose 
personal  and  official  relations  to  this  Church  have  been  so 
completely  interwoven  with  its  very  existence  as  well  as  pros- 
perity, and  we  cannot  yet  see  how  the  wound  that  his  loss 
has  made  can  be  healed  ;  we  will  yet  adopt  the  exhortation 
of  his  dying  moments,  even  as  the  ancient  people  of  God 
obeyed  the  divine  command,  '  Go  forward  ;'  believing  that 
he  who  divided  the  waters  then  will  make  a  way  for  us 
through  the  sea  of  our  troubles,  and  lead  us  to  the  full  com- 
pletion of  the  great  work  before  us. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  presented 
to  the  family  of  Bishop  Cummins,  together  with  the  assurance 
of  the  heartfelt  sympathy  of  the  members  of  this  Council 
with  them  in  their  great  affliction. 

' '  Certified  from  the  minutes, 

"  M.  B.  Smith, 

' '  'Secretary  of  the  General  Council  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church. ' ' 

A  presbyter  *  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal  Church, 
one  who  had  from  the  beginning  been  associated  with 
Bishop  Cummins  in  his  work,  writes  thus  : 

"  He  was  incessant  in  labor  in  all  his  parishes.  His  ear- 
nestness and  eloquence  everywhere  drew  crowded  audiences  ; 
young  men  were  especially  attracted  by  the  magnetism  of  his 
character,  and  by  his  cheerful,  genial  piety.  While  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Kentucky  the  number  of  communicants  in  his  dio- 
cese doubled,  and  the  contributions  increased  threefold.  No 
bishop  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  had  greater 
success.     When  the  hearts  of  men  were  to  be  stirred,  and 

*  Rev.  Mason  Gallagher. 


THE    END.  341 

their  beneficence  aroused,  he  was  the  orator  selected.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  Conferences  of  the  Evangelical 
Alliance,  and  made  one  of  the  addresses  on  the  theme 
'  The  Romish  and  Protestant  Doctrine  of  Justification 
contrasted.'     .  .     Bishop  Cummins  has  been  unwearied 

in  labors,  travelling  from  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  to  South 
Carolina,  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Atlantic.  As  in  the 
ordering  of  providence  it  was  permitted  me  to  be  intimately 
associated  with  Bishop  Cummins  in  the  inception  and  pro- 
gress of  this  latest  branch  of  the  Christian  Church,  your  pas- 
tor has  thought  it  would  be  interesting  to  his  people  to  be- 
come more  fully  acquainted  with  the  more  important  events 
of  its  history  as  they  fell  under  his  own  personal  observation. 
"  I  met  Bishop  Cummins  for  the  first  time  in  1850,  when 
visiting  Wheeling,  Virginia.  I  was  introduced  to  him  while 
he  was  Secretary  of  the  Convention  of  that  diocese,  then  in 
session.  I  heard  him  afterwards  address  a  missionary  meet- 
ing in  Ascension  Church,  New  York,  and  was  impressed  with 
him  as  a  graceful,  stirring,  and  effective  speaker,  I  saw  him  at 
one  of  the  Conferences  of  Evangelical  Episcopalians  held  in 
Philadelphia  in  1868.  I  heard  his  thrilling  utterances  on  Rit- 
ualism about  the  same  time,  when  he  was  endeavoring  to  stem 
the  tide  of  Low  Popery  which  was  making  such  alarming 
advances  in  the  Episcopal  Church  under  the  influence  of  Drs. 
Dix  and  DeKoven,  and  others  like-minded.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  address  he  said  :  '  I  implore  you  then,  my  beloved 
friends,  by  your  love  for  the  Gospel  of  Christ  ;  by  the  rever- 
ence you  bear  to  the  work  of  England's  great  confessors  in 
the  sixteenth  century ;  by  the  ashes  that  rest  under  the 
Martyrs'  Monument  at  Oxford  ;  by  the  memory  of  John 
Wycliffe,  the  morning-star  of  the  Reformation,  to  resist  this 
tide  of  error  coming  in  upon  us  as  a  flood,  and  with  love  to 
all  and  bitterness  to  none  let  us  stand  like  a  rock  for  the  purity, 
the  unswerving  loyalty  to  the  great  Head  of  this  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,' 


542  GEORGE  DAVID    CUMMINS. 

"  But  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  answered  this  ap- 
peal by  passing  canons  in  her  General  Convention  giving  aid 
and  comfort  to  the  Romanizers,  while  the  friends  and  sup- 
porters of  Bishop  Cummins  were  treated  with  contempt,  their 
petitions  laid  on  the  table,  and  refused  admission  on  the 
pages  of  the  Journal.  No  voice  at  that  time  sounded  the 
alarm  so  loudly,  so  effectively  as  his  :  we  felt  that  he,  if  any 
man,  was  to  be  the  leader  in  any  movement  which  was  to  save 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  from  its  tendency  to  the  old 
doctrines  from  which  it  had  been  reformed,  but  which  were 
allowed  to  be  stealthily  introduced  into  the  Prayer  Book  by 
the  degenerate  successors  of  Cranmer,  Latimer,  and  Ridley. 

' '  Bishop  Cummins  was  a  great  Reformer.  He  is  the  only 
bishop  since  Cranmer  who  has  effected  a  permanent,  thorough 
reform  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  Other  bishops  have  sought 
reform,  but  there  has  been  wanting  that  combination  of  great 
qualities  needed  for  such  a  mission — or  there  were  obstacles 
insuperable  in  their  paths.  To  Bishop  White,  pre-eminently, 
was  afforded  a  similar  opportunity,  but  he,  too,  was  unequal 
to  the  exigency.  With  all  his  eminent  Christian  graces,  and 
ministerial  devotedness,  yet  neither  in  clearness  of  doctrine, 
energy  of  character,  for  far-reaching  wisdom  was  he  the 
peer  of  our  departed  leader.  He  succumbed  to  the  stronger 
will  of  the  imperious,  narrow-minded  Seabury,  and  the  mag- 
netic, resolute,  arbitrary  Hobart  ;  and  through  the  influence 
mainly  of  these  two  zealous,  mistaken  men  has  the  work 
of  the  framers  of  the  First  American  Prayer  Book  been  de- 
faced and  deformed,  and  their  Communion,  thus  robbed  of  its 
rightful  influence,  and  a  prey  to  strife  and  discordant  doctrine, 
been  compelled  to  remain  among  the  minor  ecclesiastical 
bodies  of  America. 

"  Bishop  Cummins  saw  the  growth  of  error ;  saw  the  absolute 
need  of  reform  ;  saw  the  opportunity.  There  was  in  him  that 
rare,  God-given  spirit  which  enabled  him  to  face  the  frowns  of 
fifty  bishops,   three  thousand  clergymen,  and  a  multitude  of 


THE    END.  543 

indifferent  or  incensed  laymen,  and  to  strike  for  truth  and 
freedom.  He  struck  the  blow.  He  held  up  the  standard. 
He  fought  the  battle.  His  standard  has  gone  down  in  the 
thickest  of  the  combat ;  but  the  heights  are  stormed  ;  Reform 
and  Revision  in  an  Episcopal  Church  are  forever  established  ; 
and  through  the  heroic  act  of  this  grand  spirit,  under  God, 
the  world  at  last  possesses  that  rich,  pure.  Evangelical  Anglo- 
Saxon  Liturgy,  for  which  so  many  hearts  have  been  so  long 
praying  ;  the  priceless  heritage,  for  all  time,  of  a  Church 
Episcopal,  Protestant,  Reformed,  and  Free. ' ' 

In  looking  at  the  results  of  Bishop  Cummins 's  work 
we  have  cause  for  deepest  thankfulness.  The  Journal 
of  the  first  General  Council  of  the  Reformed  Episco- 
pal Church,  held  December  2d,  1873,  and  that  of  the 
Council  held  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  May,  1878,  pre- 
sent a  striking  contrast.  The  first,  of  scarcely 
twenty-six  pages,  with  the  names  of  one  bishop,  seven 
clergymen,  and  not  twenty  laymen — the  other  a  large 
pamphlet  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  pages,  with 
a  list  of  six  bishops,  ninety  clergymen,  and  a  large 
number  of  laymen.  To  read  of  the  work  accom- 
plished, of  the  new  churches  rising  all  over  this  land, 
in  England  and  in  Canada  ;  to  listen  to  the  reports  of 
her  bishops  and  committees,  and  know  of  the  Christian 
spirit  that  binds  this  young  Church  together,  we  can 
only  exclaim,  "  What  hath  God  wrought?"  So  long 
as  the  mantle  of  their  first  bishop  rests  on  the  Church 
for  which  he  sacrificed  so  much — yes,  life  itself — so 
long  may  we  hope  that  it  will  grow  and  accomplish  a 
olessed  work  in  Protestant  Christendom.  While  the 
same  sweet  spirit  of  gentleness,  meekness,  and  humility 
so  marked  in  him  continues  to  pervade  her  Councils, 
and  his  earnest,  whole-hearted  piety  is  manifested  by 


544  GEORGE  DAVID   CUMMINS. 

her  bishops,  clergy,  and  lay  members — so  long  may 
\ve  feel  assured  that  God,  even  our  own  God,  is  with 
us,  and  that  his  blessing  will  be  our  portion.  Being 
knit  together  with  one  mind  and  one  heart  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church  will  be  to  many  a  haven  of 
rest  ;  to  the  storm-tossed  followers  of  Christ  a  light 
that  will  be  far-reaching  ;  a  blessed  inheritance  to  our 
children's  children. 

A  beautiful  Memorial  Church,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Bishop  Cummins,  stands  in  one  of  Balti- 
more's most  attractive  squares — a  fitting  monument 
to  one  who  through  abundant  labors  has  entered  the 
mansion  not  made  with  hands. 

"  And  there  are  souls  that  seem  to  dwell 
Above  this  earth — so  rich  a  spell 
Floats  round  their  steps  where'er  they  move." 

"  Welcome  to  heaven,  dear  brother,  welcome  home  ! 
Welcome  to  thy  inheritance  of  light  ! 
Welcome  forever  to  thy  Master's  joy  ! 
Thy  work  is  done,  thy  pilgrimage  past ; 
Thy  guardian-angel's  vigil  is  fulfill'd  ; 
Thy  parents  wait  thee  in  the  bowers  of  bliss — 
Thy  brethren  who  have  entered  into  rest 
Long  for  thy  coming  ;  and  the  angel  choirs 
Are  ready  with  their  symphonies  of  praise." 

"  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  servb 
Him  day  and  night  in  His  temple." — Rev.  7  :  15. 


THE   END. 


I 


042  7559 


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